


Be All My Sins Remembered

by CloversDreams



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: A Terrible Epiphany, Az is fond of his sweets, Az will protecc all the books, Beelzebub cameo, But Not DatingTM, Crowley and Aziraphale live together, Denial of Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Gabriel cameo, Kidnapped, M/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, Post Avoided Apocalypse, Snek likes to be warm, The seven deadly sins, an unexpected gift, bugs are gross, don’t test him, don’t you love it when your housemate suggests you get matching tattoos, drugged, grotesque monster, hearing voices is probably a bad thing, in a cottage you know, light psychological torture, light stabbing, new enemies emerge, oh my god theyre housemates, oof… a falling out, sometimes that hits harder, then you hide them for reasons, theyre still both aloof so, theyre too soft for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-06-02 07:45:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19437025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: “The trial,” Beelzebub continued loudly, “will consist of seven tests.”“Seven…” Aziraphale muttered under his breath. He had a bad feeling about this and it showed. He twiddled his thumbs nervously as he waited for more details.Crowley scrunched his face and shook his head. “Oh you don’t mean–”“Correct. The Sins have been charged with the task,” Beelzebub interjected.“Crap.” Crowley groaned. He slapped his hands onto his face and dragged them downward slowly. This was just what they didn’t need.Gabriel nodded. He had a rather unpleasant grin on his face as he said, “Don’t know much about them, myself, but they can be a pretty gnarly group of high-class demons from what I’ve heard. On par with the archangels back home. Wouldn’t want to… what’s that delightful human phrase? Oh, right. Wouldn’t want to cock this up.”





	1. Chapter 1

It had been just under eight months since Crowley and Aziraphale helped prevent the apocalypse. Six of which since they’d thrown all caution to the wind and gotten themselves a cottage together. There simply wasn’t any point in denying that they were both important to one another anymore. They already spent so much time together that moving into the same home just made sense. The term ‘best friend’ had suddenly begun to be thrown around a lot. Crowley didn’t particularly mind it. It was the truth, after all. Whether or not there was more too it was inconsequential.

There hadn’t been much action in their lives these days since Heaven and Hell were still wary of them. It was quiet. Again, not a complaint, just an observation. They deserved some down time after such a hectic, near world-ending experience. This morning Aziraphale was dining on some breakfast while Crowley looked through news articles on his tablet. People were still talking about the ‘mass hallucinations’ from nearly a year ago, but nowhere near as much. How quickly humans tended to forget what they couldn’t comprehend.

The doorbell rang and echoed through the cottage, which knocked him out of his own head. Crowley looked up from the tablet he’d been fiddling with and scrunched his face. He didn’t even know why they had that thing. No one should be visiting them. This was their space. He watched Aziraphale make a soft sound then wipe his mouth and put the napkin back down. The angel was on his feet a moment later.

Aziraphale pat the demon on the shoulder as he walked by. “I’ll answer it, dear. Perhaps it’s those girl scouts with my cookie order. I got you a box too. What fun.”

“You really shouldn’t be giving our address to any old human that has snacks, angel,” Crowley grumbled as he turned his attention back to the tablet. There wasn’t much interesting news to read about. Things had calmed down and gone right back to being perfectly normal for the humans. It was a shame that no one knew just what had almost happened. Maybe they’d be treated with the respect they deserved. Probably not if the past was any indication, but he could daydream.

“Crowley, would you kindly come here?” Aziraphale called from the other room.

“Absolutely not! I’m still a demon, after all!” Crowley called back. Sometimes they teased like that just to get a reaction out of one another.

“Then _cruelly_ come here. If it’s not too much trouble.” Aziraphale tried again.

The lack of amusement in the angel’s voice was obvious. His tone suggested that he was surprised, perhaps worried, and trying not to show it. Crowley had heard that tone before. He practically jumped to his feet so he could hurry to the front door. Once he was in the foyer he stopped dead in his tracks. Two faces he’d preferred to not have seen for the next few millennia turned towards him. Neither looked like they wanted to be there. Well that made three of them.

“Gabriel. Lord Beelzebub… what…” His voice trailed off and he walked over to where the other three stood. It wasn’t an honor so there was no need to lie about that. A realization struck him that was just as ridiculous as it was funny. He narrowed his eyes at the pair and then asked, “Did you two seriously just ring the doorbell?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. He nodded once and replied, “Yes, well, we still don’t know what the two of you are. It didn’t seem wise to risk popping in and scaring you suddenly.”

“That or catching you two in a compromising pozzition we’d rather not see,” Beelzebub added.

“Oh, well, you see… things aren’t actually like that between us. We’re just housemates,” Aziraphale assured them with a nervous chuckle. He shifted his weight anxiously and continued to smile.

Crowley did his best to hold back a laugh. He sputtered a bit and turned his head away from everyone when they all shot a glare in his direction. He didn’t know whether Aziraphale being so flustered by their implication or the fact that their former bosses were totally scared of their apparent unpredictability was funnier.

“There was a betting pool in heaven not too long ago about whether or not you two were sleeping together. Not a single one of us voted ‘no’. That means ten million angels don’t believe your ‘best friend’ story.” Gabriel declared. He had an amused gleam in his eyes as if somehow this had given him the upper hand.

“Gabriel! Don’t you all have better things to do with your time!” Aziraphale gasped, positively mortified for so many reasons.

The amusement left Gabriel’s face and he replied flatly, “Not since _you_ jerks averted the apocalypse, no.”

“Don’t look at me like you expect me to apologize for that,” Aziraphale scoffed. The nerve of this guy.

Tired of all the nonsense, Beelzebub spoke up once again, “None of that matterzz. The reason we’re here is becauzze we have been tasked with administering unto you two one final trial.”

“A trial?” Aziraphale echoed the words. His brow knitted together as he looked from one of them to the other and asked, “What for?”

Gabriel had a smug look upon his face as he replied, “We just follow the orders we receive. Asking questions like _that_ is how you end up falling and becoming a demon.”

Aziraphale stiffened. He bowed his head and nodded as he muttered an apology. It was just like being under the angel’s command again. He hated it but he couldn’t bring himself to say so. He frowned and stared at the ground.

“Oy! You can’t just show up here and talk to him like that! He doesn’t even work for you lot anymore! You have no right!” Crowley exclaimed in his defense. If this jerk wanted a fight he was more than ready for it. He still felt like he owed him one for how he’d treated him back in heaven when he’d been disguised as Aziraphale. Seeing Gabriel continue to be a dick to him in person and the blond just take it like that just made his blood boil.

Gabriel held his hands in the air defensively and replied, “Yes, yes, you’re right. Everyone stay calm. I just mean that we don’t exactly know the reasoning behind it. We didn’t ask.”

“The trial,” Beelzebub continued loudly, “will consist of seven tests.”

“Seven…” Aziraphale muttered under his breath. He had a bad feeling about this and it showed. He twiddled his thumbs nervously as he waited for more details.

Crowley scrunched his face and shook his head. “Oh you don’t mean–”

“Correct. The Sins have been charged with the task,” Beelzebub interjected.

“Crap.” Crowley groaned. He slapped his hands onto his face and dragged them downward slowly. This was just what they didn’t need.

Gabriel nodded. He had a rather unpleasant grin on his face as he said, “Don’t know much about them, myself, but they can be a pretty gnarly group of high-class demons from what I’ve heard. On par with the archangels back home. Wouldn’t want to… what’s that delightful human phrase? Oh, right. Wouldn’t want to cock this up.”

“Wh… what exactly are we meant to do? For the trial, I mean.” Aziraphale asked.

“Avoid dying, mostly,” Gabriel replied with an indifferent shrug.

“I beg your pardon!” Aziraphale gasped.

Crowley scrunched his face yet again and tried to wrap his head around all that was happening. This was all kinds of ridiculous. He sounded just as exasperated as he felt when he asked, “When is, uh, all this supposed to happen again?”

“Impossible to say. It’s at The Sins’ dizzcretion.” Beelzebub’s reply was quick and to the point.

“Oh. Right. Cheers.” Crowley muttered some incoherent nonsense to himself.

“If either of you is dizzcorporated during any point in this trial, you will _not_ be given another body. You will instead live out the rest of eternity where you belong,” Beelzebub looked from Aziraphale to Crowley and added, “Heaven or Hell rezzpectively.”

“What!” Aziraphale squeaked.

Crowley put a hand upon the angel’s shoulder as a reminder to stay grounded. He didn’t so much as bat an eye at either of their visitors. In fact, he sounded rather cocky as he asked, “And when we pass?”

“ _If_ you pass, you will never be bothered by either side again, guaranteed. Your lives will be yours to live as you both see fit without anyone checking up on you or watching over your shoulder. Complete and utter freedom.” Gabriel offered them an envelope. He waited for Crowley to take it then turned towards Beelzebub and nodded. They both disappeared without another word since their jobs were now done.

“Oh lord… that was… simply awful… I mean, we suspected they’d be back eventually but golly we didn’t even have a mere century of peace.” Aziraphale pouted. It wouldn’t have been too much to ask just to let them have some time before the chaos started up again.

“I know, but they’re gone now. Just take deep breaths.” Crowley pat his shoulder then let his hand fall away from the angel. He ran his fingers over the letter he held then flipped it to inspect the back. It seemed ordinary enough.

“What’s that?” Aziraphale asked, his eyes glued to the letter.

Crowley tore it open and frowned to himself as he read it aloud, “To thine own self be true.”

“Is that all?” Aziraphale asked as he took it from him. His brow knitted together and he turned the letter over then asked, “A Shakespearean quote? What does that have to do with our current predicament?”

“Probably means that there’s no point in lying to The Sins. They’ll be able to see right through it. The only way to pass these trials will be knowing ourselves better than the enemy does.” Crowley mused. It was the only thing that made any sense in this otherwise mad trial.

“If we speak the truth when confronted we will pass their tests?” Aziraphale asked no one in particular. He frowned and contemplated the meaning of the words.

“I don’t think it’s quite that literal.” Crowley shook his head. He scrunched his face and added, “We really won’t know until we face a couple of them, though.”

“There’s that tone again.” Concern flashed in Aziraphale’s eyes. He couldn’t help but sound worried as he asked, “Are you really so confident in our ability to win against foes such as the Sins?”

“Of course I am. We’ve survived worse odds.” Crowley reminded him.

“How do we even deal with high level demons? I’m not much of a fighter these days.” Aziraphale’s voice carried all his worry and then some. He knew this could prove to be an impossible challenge for them. He frowned at the thought of having to spend the rest of eternity without ever getting to enjoy the wonders of human food again. His gaze shifted to his companion and his frown only deepened. “Not to mention, eternity is quite a long time when it comes to never seeing each other again.”

“That won’t happen,” Crowley shrugged the thought off. He tossed the letter aside without a care in the world. It was as pointless as the rest of this trial.

“How can you be so sure?” Aziraphale asked softly.

“There’s one surefire way to deal with any demon, if you’re willing to get the stuff.” Crowley replied in a tone that was reminiscent of a meeting they’d had over a century ago. The first and only time he’d ever asked Aziraphale for insurance in case things went wrong.

Aziraphale stiffened. He held his chin in the air and declared, “Crowley you can’t be serious. I’d never risk your life by keeping something like that on hand.”

“You’ve supplied me before,” Crowley reminded him.

“That was to _save_ your life. You were being reckless and absolutely would’ve gotten yourself killed with that amateur group of humans you threw together haphazardly.” Aziraphale sighed to himself. He shook his head and added, “I’ve only ever had your best interest in mind.”

“Not being killed by any of the Sins is in _both_ of our best interestss!” Crowley hissed. He remembered himself as soon as he did and held up his pointer finger then cleared his throat. This wasn’t the time to get into an argument. That’d only drive a wedge between them when they clearly needed to work together. He let out a sigh then said, “All I’m asking is that you give it some thought.”

“Fine.” Aziraphale pouted.

“Thank you.” Crowley turned away from him before he could see the surprised look upon the blond’s face. Yeah, he didn’t say that very often, big deal. There were more pressing matters he needed to tend to. For that he needed to go to the one place where he could clear his head. He started to walk away and mumbled, “I’ll be in the greenhouse if you need me.”

“I’ll be in the library,” Aziraphale replied as he headed in the opposite direction.

Things continued on normally after that very odd visit from their former bosses. Perhaps they’d been too normal. Nearly two weeks had passed and there was no sign of trouble. It was all rather suspicious. When it came to the majority of the Sins, Crowley didn’t know too much about them other than the rumors he’d heard while still in Hell. All of the rumors had been extreme to say the least. Whether or not they’d been exaggerations would soon be revealed, he supposed.

With Aziraphale out shopping he’d decided to kick back and watch some tv. He had a glass of wine on the coffee table to really get into the swing of things. He didn’t need to dwell on what would happen in the future. There was no problem with enjoying the present. He took another sip of his wine then set the glass back down again.

“Demon Crowley. Your reputation precedes you.”

Crowley turned towards the sound of the unfamiliar voice. He looked over the man that had dark, slicked back hair and wore a violet suit then squinted. It was expensive material, he could tell just by the look of it. He didn’t care for the sheen it had. So gaudy. He turned away as if uninterested then asked, “Which angel are you, then? None of you have a decent sense of style. The lot of you are obsessed with that suit look for whatever reason.”

“As if an angel could ever afford to look this good,” The man laughed.

Not an angel, then. Definitely not a demon with how tidy he was. Unless… had the time finally come? Crowley turned back towards the man and muttered, “Sin?”

“Not just any Sin, demon fodder, but _the_ Sin.” The man tilted his head and a grin spread across his face. His violet eyes shined arrogantly as he said, “They call me Pride.”

Crowley squinted at him. Yeah, that made sense. They guy exuded the feeling. Though it did make him curious about a few things. He tilted his head and asked, “Why’s this kicking off with you, then?”

“I am the root of all sins. The others are born from me and are lead by my example.” Pride continued to look down at him from where he stood next to the couch.

“Congratulations, but I didn’t get you any baby gifts.” Crowley snorted. What a load of crap. This guy was absolutely full of it.

“It wouldn’t be good enough even if you did,” Pride declared.

“Quick question. If I were to kill you does that mean I wouldn’t have to worry about any of the others stopping by?” Crowley asked as if it was a casual topic of conversation. He hadn’t had the chance to ask his former boss and he’d been wondering ever since.

“Are you arrogant enough to think you actually could defeat me?” Pride asked with an amused chuckle.

“Well,” Crowley nodded, “you are here for a reason. I doubt it’s because of my winning personality.”

Pride rolled his eyes then sighed, “If by some miracle I were to die by your hands, no, that would not stop the others.”

“A pity,” Crowley grunted.

“Both you and your angel boyfriend–”

“Housemate,” Crowley cut him off. He watched the way the Sin blinked at him as if he didn’t care. Then he proceeded to explain, “we both have separate bedrooms and all that. Not dating. Only sharing living space, as friends do.”

Pride rolled his eyes once more. He was already irked by this conversation not going the way he thought it should and it showed. “Sure, whatever, my point is that neither of you will survive this trial.”

There was an amused gleam in Crowley’s eyes. His voice was dripping with confidence as he declared, “I’m going to have to disagree with you there. You’ll underestimate us. All seven of you will. Our victory is practically assured.”

Pride laughed heartily at that. His violet eyes glowed brightly as he exclaimed, “Yes! That’s the famous Anthony J. Crowley attitude I wanted to see!”

Crowley stood and rubbed his hands together. This guy might’ve been a prick, but he appreciated having fans. He couldn’t help but smirk as he asked, “Right then. It’s been fun but I’m over it. What should I do now? Pretend I don’t know that I’m the greatest and all the lesser demons wish they were me? Would that make you go poof or something?”

“Hardly,” Pride snorted. He had a victorious look in his eyes as he said, “It’d take something that a pitiful excuse for a demon like yourself wouldn’t have access to in order to be rid of me. Even if you did, there’s no way you’d be stupid enough to actually attempt to use it. Not at the risk of your own life, anyway.”

“So what you’re saying is that you plan on staying for supper? Are you gonna talk my ears off till then?” Crowley yawned and stretched as if he had no interest in continuing the conversation.

“I really don’t think you understand the position you’re in right now.” Pride’s violet eyes gleamed with malicious intent. He snarled and spat, “I could kill you so easily that you’d never understand what happened as you spent the rest of eternity doing mundane janitorial work in the darkest pits.”

“Do they clean the darkest pits? Sounds a bit pointless, them being so dark and all.” Crowley asked no one in particular. It was just an odd thing to imagine.

“You are absolutely infuriating…” Pride grumbled through gritted teeth.

“Why not get it over with then? What’s all this extra talky nonsense about?” Crowley asked. His tone came across as bored but he was really trying to figure out how to get this conversation into another room. There had to be a way to gain the upper hand so he could be the victor in this seemingly one-sided situation.

“I take pride in my work. Your death will serve as a message for your angel ‘friend’. It will shake him to his core and he will fear what’s on the way for him.” There was no waver or hesitation in Pride’s voice. His words were what he absolutely believed.

Crowley’s eye twitched. He bit back the venomous response that wanted to slip past his lips. If he baited this guy it had to be thought out so it was to his advantage. He couldn’t afford to just react even if he had all the right to. He needed to play this demon’s arrogance against him somehow. Ah. It seemed so obvious now that he realized what he should do. He rolled his eyes and turned his back to Pride as he said, “Terrifying as you think you are, you’re still just the amateur in the room.”

“What does that mean?” Pride growled. He glared at the demon that was supposed to be cowering before his fearsome display. The fact that he didn’t seem to have a care in the world was nearly enough for him to scream.

Crowley shrugged. He didn’t bother to hold back any of the cockiness in his voice as he replied, “Just that I could do your job better than you ever could. Especially in this situation.”

Pride crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him as he said, “Do tell me this expert plan of yours since you’re so confident.”

“You lack what makes _me_ so very special. The thing that I use to stand out among all the other demons around. Style.” Crowley grinned as he posed dramatically. He knew that his insult had landed when he saw the Sin’s eye twitch.

“Excuse me?” Pride asked, his offense palpable.

“I mean with your kill, obviously.” Crowley motioned towards him vaguely. “Sure, whatever, a dead body found in the living room. Big deal.” He rolled his eyes then turned and poked Pride in the chest before he said, “There’s nothing personal about it. Who would ever care? Anyone would get over that in a week, tops.”

“Do you have a point?” Pride groaned. He smacked the offensive hand away from himself and continued to glare. This whole thing was getting ridiculous.

“Of course I do. A corpse found in a personal place makes a heck of a bigger impact. If I were the one doing the killing I’d make sure it was done somewhere that mattered to the one that would find the body. Though that would take a bit of knowledge about one’s mark. I bet you don’t even have that much.” Crowley could tell that he’d gotten under the Sin’s skin. The guy was ready to snap his neck if he said the wrong thing. Good. If he got distracted by his anger he’d make a mistake. He needed that chance to get things to go his way. Just one more thing to say. He held his chin in the air haughtily and declared, “Just saying, if it were me, I’d kill my target in their bedroom.”

Pride was upon him in the blink of an eye. He grabbed a fistful of his shirt and glared at the demon as he spat, “Who do you think you’re talking to? You can’t trick me into doing exactly what you want, lowly demon. I’ll kill you in a bedroom, all right, but it won’t be yours. It’ll be your precious housemate’s.”

“Now hold on a second! That’s not what I– _ack_!” Crowley managed to yelp right before Pride yanked him by the collar and started to drag him through the cottage. The bugger was surprisingly strong for such an uptight looking vessel. That certainly caught him off guard.

Pride followed the stench of divinity in the air until he came upon a room that reeked of it. He didn’t need to ask if he’d found the right place since Crowley had really started to struggle in his grasp. He ignored the demon's protests and attempts to get him talking again. Desperation was not a good look on him, but it was rather telling. He kicked the door open then dragged him into the room. He tossed Crowley onto the ground before him like he was weightless and watched him writhe.

Crowley coughed then gasped for air. Things looked pretty bad for him, he could admit that. However, all was not lost yet. He held up a hand and tried to reason with his enemy. “Wait. Listen. We can come to an agreement. This doesn’t have to end with either of us dying.”

“Either of us? You must be joking. Look around yourself. There’s no hope for you now. I’ve tired of these games.” Pride's eyes gleamed as he raised his right hand into the air. His fingers elongated and morphed into a shiny blade. He turned it slowly and a toothy grin spread across his face then he said, “Die.”

Crowley let his own smile grow until it also stretched across his face. There was a cocky gleam in his eyes as he muttered, “That’s the thing. When your housemate's an angel, there’s _always_ hope.”

“Crowley!”

Aziraphale's voice sounded through the room and the next thing Crowley knew he was sent flying backwards. His back collided with a wall and it completely knocked the wind out of him. He landed on the floor with a soft grunt. He dug his fingers into the floorboards and looked up from where he’d landed just in time to watch Aziraphale send a vase of purple daturas from his bookcase flying at the Sin.

It smashed on contact and then the room was filled with a mix of horrified shrieks and a sizzling sound. Crowley didn’t take his eyes off of Pride as the deadly water worked its magic. This was the second time he’d witnessed a demon melt because of holy water. It was just as surreal as the first. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time he saw such a thing. No matter how many times he was made to witness it, he would always watch.

Once Pride was reduced to a puddle on the ground the room grew quiet. Crowley managed to use the wall behind himself as support so he could stand once again. He let out a pained grunt and put a hand over his ribs. Bruised, probably. He supposed that was better than melting.

Aziraphale gasped then hurried over to his side. He looked the demon over quickly and started to mutter all sorts of nonsense to himself. “Crowley are you all right! Oh, that was entirely too reckless of me! I can’t believe it I could’ve–”

“Aziraphale. Hey. Listen to me.” Crowley put his hands on either side of the angel’s face. He held it still and waited for him to look into his eyes. His voice was soft yet sincere as he said, “I’m standing here and he’s goo. You were brilliant.”

Aziraphale's eyes widened and a rosy blush filled his cheeks. He visibly relaxed and averted his gaze then let out a soft, “Ah.”

Crowley let his hands fall away from the blond’s face. He rubbed the back of his own neck and mumbled, “Thank you for having impeccable timing, by the way.”

“You’re welcome of course.” Aziraphale looked down at the terrible purple suit on the floor. It was a shame that hadn’t melted too. Now he had a mess to clean up. His voice was barely above a whisper as he muttered, “I can't believe we just did that.”

“We’re just lucky he took the bait and brought me here instead of my room.” Crowley carefully stepped around the mess on the floor. He shook his head then said, “We might have gotten rid of this one, but another will eventually take his place. Sins don’t just disappear from the world.”

“Right, but the new Pride won’t come after you again. That part of the trial is over.” Aziraphale knew that much and it was a relief.

Crowley shook his head side to side and made a noise. He couldn’t be certain about anything right now. Better not fall into a false sense of comfort. Not to mention the trial wasn’t even sort of over. They had to keep their wits about them. “Yeah but we do have another six visits to look forward to. We need to be as prepared as possible since we have no idea what’s coming next.”

Aziraphale nodded and hummed in agreement. He waved his hands to clean up the mess. Once the crumpled suit was gone and the vase fixed then placed back where it belonged, he turned towards his demon companion. The concern in his eyes was genuine as he asked softly, “Are you sure you're all right? No splatter got near you did it? I don’t know what I’d do if–”

Crowley rubbed his neck, which was still sore from how he was dragged across the cottage. It was nothing a little rest and relaxation couldn’t fix. It was time for a distraction. He nodded and said, “I'm fine. Let's go watch a movie or something.”

“All right, if you insist.” Aziraphale motioned for him to lead the way.

Crowley left the room and waited for the angel to follow. They walked side by side down the hall as he said, “You have to admit the holy water being hidden in plain sight was a stroke of genius.”

“If you’re implying that we should have some in every room of the house my answer is still no. That’s simply too dangerous.” Aziraphale's tone was firm and absolute. He wouldn’t budge on his decision. He’d caved with the one vase, but that was mostly to show Crowley how they’d never even use it. That and the fact that the demon never went into his room so theoretically shouldn’t have been in any danger. So much for that.

“Live a little. Give the wild side a try,” Crowley teased as he elbowed the blond playfully.

Aziraphale shook his head. He looked at his companion out of the corner of his eye then quickly looked away again. There was a slight tremor in his voice as he replied, “Risking your destruction isn’t living on the wild side. It’s terrifying. More so than any Sin could ever be.”

Crowley found himself speechless. He wasn’t sure there was anything he _could_ possibly say. This angel, his best friend and housemate, was too caring for his own good. It seemed wasted on an unforgivable being such as himself. He kept that thought to himself lest he reignite one of their arguments that was nearly as old as they were. When they’d last left it, they’d agreed to disagree. That was probably as good as it was going to get.

Right now he only had to wonder if they’d picked up any popcorn last time they’d gone out or they’d have to miracle themselves a big bowl of such. They both headed to the kitchen and Aziraphale hummed to himself as he got right to work making them some cocoa. Crowley found himself soothed by the sound. He would’ve thought an encounter like the one that just happened would’ve left him on edge. That wasn’t the case. If Aziraphale could smile at him so sweetly as he handed him a black mug with those ridiculous mini marshmallows floating in it, Crowley supposed things couldn’t be all bad.

He watched the angel start to head towards the living room with a little hop in his step. Crowley snapped the fingers on his right hand then followed him. He lifted his mug to his mouth and smiled into it when he heard the blond’s delighted gasp. In lieu of popcorn he’d miracled up a spread of desserts on the coffee table and Aziraphale had just discovered that.

A pain near his ribs made him grunt softly. He put a hand on it and frowned to himself. Yeah, yeah, he knew not to let his guard down. That was why he chose not to heal the pain and he’d deal with it hurting for a bit. The reminder would keep him on his toes. At the same time, it didn’t hurt to celebrate just a _little_ bit since they’d passed their first trial.

Crowley took a sip of his drink and scrunched his face. It was entirely too sweet. It needed a little oomph. Another quick snap of his fingers and he added a nice chocolate liquor to it. After another test sip he nodded. That was just what the doctor ordered. He joined Aziraphale in the living room and sat down on the couch. He nodded and made intrigued noises as if he was hearing this all for the first time while he listened to the chipper angel ramble on excitedly about how he was there for the origin of most of the desserts in the spread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I never had to pretend_  
>  _You've always known who I am_  
>  _And I know my life is better_  
>  _Because you're a part of it_  
>  _I know without you by my side_  
>  _That I would be different_  
>  -
> 
> Oh my god they were housemates
> 
> Woooo excited to finally start posting thissss! Been working on it for a few weeks XD! Hopefully youre interested in seeing what happens next too! :3
> 
> Datura inoxia flowers are otherwise known as devils trumpet and yep Aziraphale has a vase of them in his bedroom because i said so. were they a gift from crowley? did he buy them himself? we may never know >:3c
> 
> I was considering naming the chapters after the sin that will be featured but maybe its better left as a surprise hmm...


	2. Chapter 2

Aziraphale’s eyes traveled slowly over the words in the book he held. Fascinating. He’d been going through all the texts he could possibly think of since their run in with Pride three days ago and the answer he’d been looking for had been misshelved all along. He didn’t have time to think about how he’d randomly grabbed this book to get to another behind it. Be it fate or divine intervention, he didn’t care. He finally found something useful and that was what mattered. He shut the book and hurried out of his library. He had to share this news.

He finally came upon his companion asleep on the living room couch. Part of him was a bit jealous of just how cozy Crowley looked under the multiple throw blankets. There was no time to focus on that now. Aziraphale waved his hand and the blankets disappeared. He’d simply sent them to the demon’s room so they could have a conversation. He knew that the guy would be of no use to him if he was too warm and comfy. He watched and waited as patiently as he could while the grumpy demon stirred.

“Oy, I was using those,” Crowley mumbled, still groggy. He kept his eyes shut and felt around for the blankets only to find they weren’t there.

“I know but I have something incredibly important to talk to you about,” Aziraphale hastily replied. Part of him wanted to shake his companion awake so he’d pay attention. He refrained from such.

“Can’t it wait until after my nap?” Crowley groaned. He held up his hand and prepared to snap so he could put the blankets right back where they’d been.

“I should think not. It could be the difference between our surviving these trials or not.” Aziraphale had a look upon his face that said he was prepared to go full-on lecture mode if he had to. He watched the demon peek one eye at him and knew he saw that this was quite serious.

“Fiiiiine,” Crowley groaned. He sat upright on the couch and stretched lazily. His eyelids were heavy and he blinked them slowly. He snapped his fingers and a bottle of wine appeared in his hand. He lifted it to drink directly from the bottle then paused and motioned vaguely at the angel before himself and muttered, “Get on with it, then.”

Aziraphale held out his book and exclaimed, “This text!”

Crowley took a sip of his wine. He squinted at the book and shook his head. Yeah, no, he had no idea what any of this nonsense was about. He continued to squint as his gaze shifted to the blond and he muttered, “You’re gonna have to give me more to work with than that, angel.”

“I found it while searching for something to help with our current situation.” Aziraphale looked down at the book and nodded. He flipped through it until he happened upon the page that had caught his eye. He held it up for the demon to see and exclaimed, “Look!”

Crowley scrunched his face at the text. He shook his head and mumbled, “What? Some nonsense about tattoos? So what?”

Aziraphale tapped the page for emphasis as he replied, “Not just any tattoos, my dear. These are special. Imbued with magical energy they act as a way to track one another.”

“You want to chip me? Like humans do to their pets and kids?” Crowley couldn’t help but look offended. This was an odd turn of events he hadn’t seen coming. He frowned and grumbled, “I know I helped pave the way for that kind of technology to happen, but I never once thought it’d be used on me. This is ridiculous.”

“It’s not the same, no. This tattoo will connect us in a deeper way. It will let us know when the other is in distress as well as act as a way to locate each other.” Aziraphale paused and thought about it. He wouldn’t be sold on the idea either if he was in Crowley’s shoes. Though it made so much sense from his own point of view. He finally sighed, “It could prove to be useful if a Sin attacks while we’re apart again.”

Crowley narrowed his eyes at the book. His brow knitted together and his frown deepened then he asked, “And if I refuse? You gonna force me?”

“It has to be consensual or it won’t work.” Aziraphale sighed with a frown of his own. He’d drop the subject if he had to. Unfortunate as it was, that’d be better than trying to force Crowley into doing anything he didn’t want to. He shut the book and turned around. His voice was soft as he said, “I’ll go back to looking.”

Crowley tilted his head and blinked at him. He rolled his eyes and asked, “Why do you sound like I just kicked your puppy?”

Aziraphale paused and turned to look at him. He furrowed his brow then said, “You kicked a puppy? Crowley that’s terrible.”

“No, I didn’t! I’m saying you–”

“I would never kick a puppy, I’m an angel.” Aziraphale immediately interjected.

“That’s not what I was going to say!” Crowley shouted. His frustration was clear but so was the fact that he didn’t want to see his housemate pout. He took another sip of his wine then placed the bottle onto the coffee table and said, “Hurry up and do the tattoo thing before I change my mind.”

“Oh!” Aziraphale lit up. He immediately took Crowley’s left hand and pulled him to his feet. He lifted the arm so that he held his wrist. He motioned for the demon to do the same. He nodded and said, “Repeat this incantation after me.”

Crowley did so without fault. He didn’t recognize the language but that wasn’t a surprise. There were quite a few dead ones these days, especially ones related to this kind of ancient magic. He hissed when he felt a searing pain in his wrist. He noticed Aziraphale flinch as well. Neither of them let go until the pain was finally gone.

Once they released one another they looked down at the new tattoos upon their wrists with great interest. A black snake that morphed into a feather about halfway through its body wrapped around the once flawless skin. Aziraphale studied it for a moment. He blinked as he turned his wrist so he could see the entire thing. “Fascinating.”

“A bit on the nose isn’t it?” Crowley asked as he twisted his wrist to get a good look at it. He’d say they were rather obvious for all the wrong reasons. Not that he particularly minded it, but he could see there being an issue if someone noticed them and knew what their purpose was.

Aziraphale nodded in agreement. He adjusted his sleeve in an attempt to cover his new mark. “You’re right, we should take care to conceal them. Can’t let the enemy know we have anything up our sleeves. It would be best if they thought us to be ill prepared.”

Crowley snapped and the tattoos vanished. “Done.”

“Did you just–!” Aziraphale gasped.

“Relax, they’re still there. Just… invisible.” Crowley assured him.

Aziraphale ran his thumb over his own left wrist. He didn’t feel anything but that was to be expected. While he was suspicious of them being invisible, he was inclined to believe Crowley. If the demon said they were still there, then they were. He nodded and muttered to himself, “Right. Jolly good. So how do we know that they do what they’re supposed to?”

“One of us could stab the other,” Crowley casually suggested.

“Stab? You can’t be serious.” Aziraphale looked a tad bit horrified. Of all the things that could’ve slipped past the demon’s lips.

Crowley shrugged. The corner of his mouth curled upwards in a smirk and he said, “Probably not.”

Aziraphale pouted at his uncooperative companion. Sometimes that darn demon just didn’t know when to take things seriously. A thought occurred to him and he didn’t think twice before he reached out and pinched Crowley’s arm. He made sure it was a good one.

“Oy! That hurt!” Crowley yelped.

Aziraphale gasped and held up his left hand. There was an excited gleam in his eyes as he squeaked, “I felt your momentary anguish! It was brief but it was there! Like a pinprick right where the tattoo is… or isn’t… or technically is even though it isn’t. Oh, you know what I mean.”

“Guess they work, then…” Crowley muttered as he rubbed his arm. There was the slightest hint of a pout on his face as if he wanted to be the one to do the pinching.

“Yes. It’s a bit of a relief to know that we’ll be able to sense when the other is in need of assistance. This trial is as good as passed, I say!” Aziraphale was positively chipper. He had a warm smile upon his face and pumped a cheery fist in the air.

Crowley plopped back down onto the couch. He laid across it with his back against the armrest. Then he grabbed the bottle of wine he’d set down and brought it to his lips. He paused to ask, “About that… Tell me something, angel. What would you do with complete and utter freedom? What changes would you make to your life?”

“I…” Aziraphale paused to think about it for a few seconds. That was a surprisingly difficult question to answer. He finally settled on a response and continued, “well, truthfully I don’t suppose I would really want to change anything. I like the way things are. It would be nice not to have the threat of either side looming over us, though.”

Crowley grunted then finally took that sip of wine. Perhaps sip wasn’t the right word. He gulped. Multiple times. Chugged, really. The bottle would be finished off before he pulled it away from his lips. He was completely focused on that and paid the angel no mind.

“Would you change something about your life?” Aziraphale couldn’t help but ask. The question had him rather curious about the demon’s potential response. A few incoherent sounds escaped Crowley as he continued to drink the wine. Aziraphale sighed then turned around to head back to the library. He knew from experience that this conversation wouldn’t go anywhere now. They might be able to continue it later on. For now, he could make better use of his time researching their foes.

Aziraphale kept mostly to himself for the rest of the afternoon. If his housemate needed anything he’d let him know. Crowley seemed like he was more interested in sleeping than dealing with any interaction. That was fine, they both had days like that. Sometimes weeks, but who was keeping score? He rather liked being undisturbed in his library, anyway. Once the evening rolled around Aziraphale found himself a bit peckish. He decided he’d pop into town and get a snack. He didn’t bother to tell Crowley since he’d be back before the demon even noticed.

He made sure he looked presentable and then was there with a mere thought and wave of his hand. Aziraphale smiled at the passersby that he made eye contact with on the street. Most of them were couples out for a nice evening stroll together. They held hands and walked close to one another. He could sense their love all around himself and it was wonderful. It was incredible to think that something as simple as walking hand in hand with the object of one’s affection could make people so happy.

Humans were truly amazing. Angels didn’t get to do things like that. As a general rule, his kind simply weren’t interested in affection and the like. They absolutely _could_ be, but most didn’t take the time to think about it. They simply waited for the next order to come in. They were truly an obedient race to a fault.

It’d be a lie for Aziraphale to say that he wasn’t interested. What a lovely time it’d be. Just imagining he could have a similar experience as the happy humans around himself caused him to have an extra hop in his step. It was rather wonderful to think about. He’d had sporadic romantic entanglements with humans in the past, and they were always wonderful. Such things were few and far between. Not to mention they were usually after they’d established a friendship and worked their way up to something more. He hadn’t had much time to make human friends lately, so that was off the table.

As he walked, his mind wandered to his housemate. For no particular reason. He’d just been in a bit of a mood earlier. Though Aziraphale couldn’t really complain as he’d still gotten his way. It was hard to put his finger on what was even bothering him about that little interaction of theirs. He rubbed his left wrist idly. Though the mark wasn’t visible and he couldn’t actually feel it, knowing it was there was a source of comfort for him. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same for Crowley. Right after that he wondered if he should bring the demon home a nice snack to lift his spirits.

“Excuse me, dearie, would you care for a free sample?”

Aziraphale blinked a few times then turned towards the sound of the voice. A little old woman in a long, orange dress stood outside of a bakery holding a tray of chocolates. He looked up at the sign and squinted. He didn’t recall this place being here last time he was in town. How long had it been? Time was such a fickle thing when one was immortal. Two days could easily become two months if he got lost in a series of books. He looked back at the woman and smiled. His gaze traveled over the delectable looking sweets and he said, “Don’t mind if I do, thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all,” the woman hummed. She smiled as he picked the closest candy to him and popped it into his mouth then made a delighted sound.

His eyes widened as the wonderfully smooth chocolate melted in his mouth. The flavor was absolutely perfect. Not too sweet, with just the right amount of fruit for a little oomph. Not many people got the ratio so exact. He had to admit that he was a bit in awe. He finished off the chocolate then said, “Oh, that was absolutely decadent. Madam, I will buy a whole box full.”

The woman gasped softly then said, “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing? And so adorable too. Come on in, I’ve got quite a few different flavors to choose from.”

Aziraphale followed her into the bakery and looked around. The sight was absolutely glorious. Everywhere he looked there were cakes and sweets and sugary delights. He couldn’t believe he’d missed the grand opening of such a place. It smelled divine and everything he laid eyes on looked like it’d taste so good he’d cry after just one bite. He was positively awestruck as he continued to observe his surroundings and asked, “Has this place been open long?”

“Not too long, no.” The woman set down her tray of sweets on the counter near the register. She made her way behind it and asked, “Are you a big fan of sweets?”

“Oh, I’m quite fond of them. It’s my housemate that doesn’t really partake. He’d much rather have a nice bottle of wine than even consider eating something as delectable as a macaron.” Aziraphale replied as he continued to look around the wondrous shop.

“All the more for you,” The woman hummed.

“Yes indeed,” Aziraphale nodded with a wide grin.

Aziraphale picked out a bunch of flavors of chocolates he’d like to buy. He chatted with the kind woman as she boxed them up for him. Then he decided on a whim to go ahead and try a few more treats. They all looked so wonderful, he just couldn’t help it. He was beside himself with glee when she handed him the bag full of goodies. He was about to thank her when she reached under the counter and produced a bottle of wine.

The woman offered him the bottle. She continued to smile and said, “This is a good vintage, I’ve had it for a while. Please, take it as my gift to you for being such a lovely customer.”

“You’re too kind,” Aziraphale replied with a smile that stretched across his face. He accepted the gift with a nod. He didn’t know why this woman was so wonderful but he absolutely couldn’t wait to visit this shop again and he hadn’t even left yet. His arms were full as he stepped foot out of the bakery, giddy as a child. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and then miracled himself home.

Aziraphale looked around the familiar kitchen and nodded. Yes, this was exactly where he wanted to be. He put his bags onto the counter and then put the kettle on so he could make some tea. He turned back around and started to unpack the bags. All of the goodies looked amazing and he didn’t know where to start. This was one of those really great problems to have. He was so excited.

He put one of each kind of treat onto a large plate then set it onto the table. Right afterwards the kettle started to whistle so he took it off the heat. He brewed his tea and took that mug to the table as well. He stared in awe at the beautiful desserts and now had to decide which one to try first. It was quite a dilemma, but he wouldn’t let it hinder him for long.

It was just over twenty minutes later when Crowley meandered into the kitchen. Aziraphale had just taken a bite of cake so he couldn’t say anything but he did smile and wave. Then he motioned enthusiastically to the sweets he had scattered about the table. He smiled as he watched the demon’s gaze wander over them.

“I was wondering what that excruciatingly sweet smell in the air was,” Crowley muttered as he looked around. He took note of the bags on the counter then scrunched his face and asked, “Did you buy out an entire bakery or something?”

“I absolutely should’ve. Every single thing I’ve tried is remarkable.” Aziraphale picked up another forkful of the cake in front of himself. He offered it to the demon and hummed, “You simply must try some, dear boy.”

Crowley shook his head. Just the scent of it was practically enough to make his teeth ache. Not a single part of him wanted to ingest something like that. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Your loss,” Aziraphale hummed right before he ate the bite of cake himself. He made a delighted sound then scooped up another forkful.

Crowley turned his attention back to the counter then made an intrigued noise of his own when he saw the bottle of wine. He picked it up and inspected it. Interesting. His brow knitted together and he frowned to himself as he muttered, “Angel, this wine it’s…”

“A gift from the proprietor. She was the loveliest woman with a kind heart as well as divine baking skills.” Aziraphale explained with a mouthful of cake.

“Where did you say this shop was?” Crowley asked softly. He sniffed the bottle in his hand then turned it over to read the label on the back.

“Downtown on Main Street. Why?” Aziraphale asked back.

“This wine is exactly to my tastes,” Crowley grunted.

“Well that’s good isn’t it?” Aziraphale asked with a hopeful grin. Maybe they’d have a little sit-down snack and light conversation after all. He quite enjoyed that kind of thing.

Crowley shook his head. He frowned as he explained, “No, I mean _exactly_ to my tastes. From the vintage, to the winery, and even the name, it was practically tailor made for me to drink.”

Aziraphale shrugged and replied, “I’m really not seeing the problem. Sounds like a happy coincidence to me, dear.”

Crowley put the bottle back onto the counter and muttered, “Quite a suspicious one.”

“You don’t have to drink it but you’re still more than welcome to join me for a snack,” Aziraphale offered with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. It would be nice to have some company.

Crowley shook his head and sighed, “I was just headed to bed, actually. It’s late and I’m tired, you know.”

“Didn’t you sleep all day?” Aziraphale asked.

“No. I was doing stuff. Demon stuff. You wouldn’t understand.” Crowley grunted as he waved a hand at him dismissively.

“Oh, really?” Aziraphale asked and then raised a curious eyebrow at him.

“Yep. You didn’t notice because you were in your library all day long.” Crowley shrugged.

“All right. Sorry for doubting you.” Aziraphale paused and considered whether or not that was all he should say. In the end he simply couldn’t leave it at that and added, “Well good night, I suppose.”

“Yeah. You should, uh,” He paused when the angel looked at him. Crowley turned and started to walk away as he mumbled, “just be careful. Don’t need you getting into trouble like you tend to do.”

“I assure you I have no intention of getting into trouble!” Aziraphale called after him.

“I’ve heard that one before!” Crowley snorted loudly.

Aziraphale chuckled to himself. Yeah, he’d gotten into more than his fair share of trouble over the years, but it didn’t seem to matter. He always managed to wriggle out of it, usually with the assistance of his favorite demon. He smiled and continued to eat his treats. He absolutely couldn’t believe just how delicious they were. His housemate was missing out on something incredible by not trying them. Well, that just meant he’d have to enjoy the snacks enough for the both of them. He could absolutely do that.

It was bright and early the next day when Aziraphale decided he would go back to that bakery. He wanted to give the proprietor his utmost regards. The confections she'd made had been so delectable that he’d ended up eating them all last night. She deserved to know just how much he’d adored them. And if she happened to have a few more on hand, well, that’d be all right too.

He told Crowley that he was headed to town and asked him if he needed anything. Of course the answer was no. Though the demon did ask if he wanted to go out for breakfast before he did whatever he planned on doing. Aziraphale turned him down as he already had plans. It was a shame since he’d wanted to eat together last night and all. Oh, well.

It was a whole new form of torture waiting for the time to arrive when the bakery actually opened. Granted, that had only been about fifteen minutes since his conversation with Crowley, but it was the worst. Once it was finally time, he quickly miracled himself over to the bakery. He wanted to be the first one there.

He greeted the little old woman with a smile the moment that she flipped the sign to read ‘open.’ She offered up a sweet greeting then welcomed him inside. They talked idly about so many topics. He found that her love of baking was a really beautiful thing. It meshed well with his adoration of food. She even let him sample some new treats she was considering featuring on the menu. Of course they were incredible. He was sure to let her know that any of them would make a fine addition to the menu.

Aziraphale was sure he’d overstayed his welcome by the time he finally left. Though the woman assured him otherwise, he felt obligated to buy an exceedingly large number of cakes to make up for it. His decision absolutely hadn’t been swayed by the fact that he really wanted to eat those cakes. He went back home with a grin upon his face.

He attempted once more to get Crowley to try a piece of cake and was promptly told to shut up. Oh, well. Some people couldn’t understand the joys of such treats. He didn’t let it bother him. Yet again he stayed up all night and finished up all the desserts he bought.

On the third day he left bright and early. He didn't even bother to tell Crowley he was going. There was no point in bothering him over something like this. Aziraphale wasn’t ashamed of his sweet tooth and he didn’t have to explain that to anyone. He was feeling peckish and he knew there was just one thing that could satisfy that craving.

He arrived at the bakery before it opened and was greeted by the familiar smile of the old woman. She let him in and explained that she was just about to have breakfast then asked if he’d care to join. Aziraphale was more than happy to accept. He sat at the table she directed him to and smiled as he watched her meander into the kitchen.

Once he was alone his mind wandered to the fact that he’d turned his best friend down for breakfast yesterday. Now he accepted the offer from someone who was practically a stranger. Thinking about it made his gut twist in an uncomfortable way. It wasn’t a big deal. He knew he was over thinking it. He could simply bring Crowley back a cake later as a peace offering.

Not a moment after he decided that did the old woman appear again. She set a plate of crêpes before him and hummed, “Bon Appétit.”

Aziraphale wasted no time in using the provided utensils to scoop up a bite. He shut his eyes and savored the flavor as it washed over him like a familiar hug. Astounding. He took another bite to make sure the first wasn’t a fluke. It was also a spiritual experience. He could hardly believe it. He finished off the snack then declared, “I must say that these crêpes are incredible! They're on par with the ones I used to get from my favorite shop in Paris. Let me tell you, coming from me that is quite the compliment.”

“I’m so glad you like them, dearie,” The woman hummed as she set another plate down in front of him. This one had twice as many crêpes upon it as the last. She smiled as she said, “There’s plenty more. Eat to your heart's content.”

While he wasn’t exactly hungry, Aziraphale didn’t want to be rude. Nor did he want something so delectable to go to waste. He accepted the second serving with a smile and immediately began to eat. It was just as scrumptious as the first. He hadn’t even finished that before a new plate was set before him. It wouldn’t hurt to indulge just this once. After all, the old woman had such a kind smile upon her face. As an angel he couldn’t do anything to change that, it wasn’t in his nature.

It was when he’d finished up a fourth serving and yet another had been set before him that he finally decided he had to stop before he ate the poor lady out of house and home. She slid the plate of food before him and he didn’t eat. Well, he told himself not to eat, but his body moved on its own and did so anyway. Odd. Aziraphale tried again to get himself to stop but he didn’t seem to have control over his own actions anymore. His body kept on eating as he yelled internally that it needed to stop.

He heard a soft cackle and managed to shift his gaze to the old woman. His body continued to eat against his will as he watched her eyes glow bright orange. Oh, that couldn’t be good. His research had informed him that the Sin associated with orange was that of gluttony. Of course it was. He should’ve known. How could he have been so blind? He tried yet again to regain control over himself, to no avail. He couldn’t do a thing, not even a little miracle so he could escape.

Gluttony put a hand upon his shoulder and leaned in to whisper into his ear, “Eat all you’d like, my sweet. There’s enough to tide you over for all eternity.”

_This is bad! Very bad! I have to figure out how to break her hold on me! Then I could miracle out of here!_ Aziraphale screamed internally as a panic set in. He had no clue how he was supposed to go about doing that. Oh, what would Crowley do in the same situation? He’d think on his feet. He’d make the situation work in his favor. But _how_?

Aziraphale’s gaze landed upon the fork in his hand. If only he could control himself for a split second. That was all he needed. He focused all his energy on that fork. He grunted with the strain of it but refused to give into the fact that he was essentially helpless. He couldn’t let himself be done in like this. It was far too embarrassing and would give all the angels something to mock him about for the rest of eternity. He refused to let it happen. He grunted internally as he strained even harder against the Sin’s hold on him.

She wouldn’t win. He had too many plans. He still had to make it up to Crowley for blowing off his breakfast invitation yesterday! He couldn’t die with something like that looming over him! He just needed to… _focus_! He gasped in his mind when the fork suddenly plunged into the back of his left hand. He didn’t miss the irony in it as the pain radiated through him. His body hadn’t even flinched. It simply pulled the fork out of his hand and used it to pick up another bite of food. That was unsanitary and pretty disgusting.

“Now, now dearie. None of that.” Gluttony took the fork away. She nodded as he continued to eat with his hands instead.

Aziraphale could only hope that had been enough to get his message across as his body continued to consume all that it could reach. He attempted to struggle internally as his body did whatever it wanted. In this case, it ate. And ate. And ate. Oh, god, he needed to stop. The way that the food squished between his fingers and bits fell onto the table before they reached his mouth was incredibly off putting. Food was meant to be savored, not this! The sound of Gluttony’s cackle rang through his ears. Aziraphale wished he could glare at the Sin properly. It was horrible of her to turn his love of food against him like this.

A loud crash got their attentions and they both looked towards the source of the sound. Aziraphale’s heart leaped into his throat when he saw Crowley in the shattered doorway to the shop. He let out a soft yelp in his head when he noticed that the demon was wearing those industrial strength long, black gloves and holding a familiar purple vase as far as he could from himself.

_Crowley be careful with that! Please!_ Aziraphale tried to yell but his body wouldn’t cooperate. All he could do was watch the scene in horror as it played out before him.

Crowley took a quick look around the shop then finally glanced at the Sin with the glowing orange eyes. There wasn’t even a hint of surprise in his voice when he asked, “Gluttony, I presume?”

“At your service,” Gluttony replied with a little bow of her head.

“Do you have any idea what this is?” Crowley asked as he lifted the vase higher. He was careful not to spill any of the water when he moved it.

“An excuse for you to look like a complete fashion disaster?” Gluttony laughed.

“ _This_ is what sent your buddy Pride packing and it’ll do the same to you in the blink of an eye,” Crowley snapped. His gaze shifted to Aziraphale, who was still eating anything his hands could grab. He looked back at the Sin and declared, “I’ve already lost him once, don’t think I’ll ever stand for such a thing again. I don’t care if this takes us both out at the same time as long as he’s freed from your clutches afterwards.”

_Crowley, no! I’m not worth it! Don’t do something so crazy!_ Aziraphale yelled in his own mind.

Gluttony laughed heartily at that. She motioned towards the array of sweets around them and asked, “Wouldn’t you rather eat something than be needlessly violent? You’re entirely too skinny, little demon. I promise you that it’s all sinfully delicious.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I never eat.” There was no hint of humor in his voice.

Gluttony’s smile melted away, along with her human appearance. She growled as her true form finally revealed itself. Once the last bit of humanity was gone what was left could only be described as a giant blob of orange ooze. It didn’t really have a particular shape, but it did have a mouth and some razor-sharp teeth that floated along its gooey surface. She screeched loudly then hissed, “Begone, demon! I have no business with you! I only want the angel!”

“Any business you have with him is also business with me, Sin,” Crowley hissed right back. He was used to seeing grotesque sights in Hell, this appearance didn’t bother him in the slightest. He took a single step closer and shook the vase he held just slightly then added, “You can either go out in the same manner as Pride, which means in extreme agony, or you can walk away and never bother either of us again. The choice is yours. Make it quickly as my arms are getting tired.”

There was a moment of silence between them while they sized each other up. The look upon Crowley’s face said just how serious he was about this. He would kill them both in a heartbeat. Absolutely nothing was idle about his threat. There was something to be said about that kind of resolve. Gluttony huffed to herself and mumbled, “Pride was a fool. Unlike him, I have a sense of self preservation.”

“I guess some of you aren’t as brainless as you look,” Crowley replied with a snarl.

“I will go… for now…” Gluttony said with an annoyed sneer. “Know this, if we ever meet again, I won’t go so easy on you.”

Crowley held his chin in the air and muttered, “The feeling is mutual.”

In the blink of an eye the giant blob was gone. Aziraphale finally stopped shoveling food into his mouth and went into a coughing fit. Not that he could focus on that right now. He did his best to push past that and wipe his hands off on the napkins that had been on the table. He was on his feet a second later. He hurried over to Crowley and carefully took the vase he held. He let out a relieved sigh when it was finally out of the demon’s hands. With a quick nod he miracled it right back home where it belonged. It was only after that when he finally felt like he could breathe again.

“Oh, thank _goodness_.” Aziraphale bent slightly at the waist and put his hands over his racing heart. It could finally calm back down since the danger was dealt with.

Crowley sniffed the air and scrunched his face as he removed the tedious gloves he wore. He looked down then grabbed Aziraphale’s left hand and held it up so he could inspect it. He frowned to himself as he muttered, “Angel, you’re hurt.”

“Oh. That. Well, I was desperate to get your attention so…” Aziraphale’s voice trailed off and his eyes widened when Crowley snapped the fingers on his free hand. In an instant the wound disappeared, as if it had never happened. The demon released him and he brought his hand to his chest then cupped it in the other. His voice was barely above a whisper as he stared down at the ground and said, “Thank you.”

“I know you were under a demon’s thrall and whatnot, but did you actually get any food in your mouth during that whole mess?” Crowley asked as he looked the blond over.

“Whatever do you mean?” Aziraphale looked down at himself and saw what a mess he was. There was icing and crumbs and sprinkles and who even knew what else all over him. Not to mention his hands were caked in the same stuff. He had been too distracted by getting that holy water away from his housemate to realize the horrid state he was in. That was just a tad bit embarrassing. He cleared his throat then motioned towards himself and _voilà_ , he was all cleaned up. He smoothed out his newly clean outfit and mumbled, “Thank you again for coming.”

“Didn’t really have much of a choice,” Crowley sighed.

Aziraphale did feel bad about injuring himself since it had caused the demon pain as well. Part of him wanted to apologize but it was already said and done. They really should just move on now. They’d completed a second trial and that meant they should both be in a good mood. Perhaps even celebrate. He smiled as he hummed, “Did you tell that demon you never eat? What a lie.”

Crowley huffed softly to himself. He had a playful smirk upon his face as he replied, “It’s a rare enough occurrence to count as never. Plus it worked. Didn’t see you offering up any helpful suggestions.”

“I was trying my best!” Aziraphale gasped. He’d been in a bit of a panic and that only motivated him to try even harder to break free. Of course it hadn’t worked. Had the worst actually happened, he would’ve been helpless to do anything but watch. He was glad that hadn’t been the case at all.

“Suuuure,” Crowley teased.

While he was embarrassed about falling for what he now realized was quite an obvious ruse, Aziraphale found himself unable to focus on that. He was much more grateful to Crowley for being there when he needed him. He was always there to help him out of bad situations. Aziraphale’s chest tightened at the thought. He wanted to thank him somehow. Truthfully, he’d wanted to for a while but nothing he thought of ever seemed good enough. He’d just have to try harder on that front and think up the absolute best gift he could possibly get the demon. For now, it was back to basics. He continued to grin as he asked, “Can I interest you in a spot of lunch?”

Crowley’s eyes widened in disbelief. He motioned towards the mess that was still around them and asked, “Are you seriously saying you could actually eat at a time like this? After all that?”

“It’s just my body that’s full. An easy enough thing to fix.” Aziraphale waved a hand at himself. He held his chin in the air proudly and declared, “Done. Besides, I believe I owe you a meal from the other morning. And a celebratory lunch is definitely in order for passing the second trial.”

“What about this place?” Crowley wondered out loud. He was sure that whatever wards the Sin had up which prevented humans from noticing it must’ve been gone now.

“Not our problem. Leave it to someone else to clean up the mess. We didn’t ask for these tests and have no obligation to deal with the aftermath.” Aziraphale might have come across a bit cold when he’d said that. He didn’t really care. This whole thing was pointless as far as he was concerned. Aziraphale didn’t miss the amused gleam in Crowley’s eyes when he’d heard his response. He bowed his head slightly and motioned towards the hole where the front door used to be then hummed, “Shall we, dear?”

“I guess I could eat,” Crowley replied with a crooked smile. He stepped on broken glass without a care as he headed out of the building.

“You do spoil me with your indulgences,” Aziraphale replied as he followed him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Chocolate kisses so good_   
>  _You'll be beggin' for more_   
>  _Don't pretend you're not hungry_   
>  _There's plenty to eat_
> 
> -  
> Secret matching tattoos, huh? Like a little promise between lovers? Pfft. They wish. Theyre too damn stupid for it to get that far… f
> 
> Aziraphale: oh golly I’m stuffed! I cant eat another bite!  
> Also Aziraphale: but I must make it up to my dear Crowley. We should go on a lunch date.  
> Crowley: I don’t even like eating but angel looked at me so I guess I have to
> 
> I like the idea of Gluttony looking like a sweet little grandma. So very non-threatening until its too late :3c


	3. Chapter 3

Crowley yawned then plopped face-down onto his bed. He was so tired. Even his favorite TV series couldn’t seem to keep his attention. He’d switched that off nearly as soon as he’d turned it on. As it had been more than three weeks since their run-in with Gluttony, one would think he’d be on his toes. Extra alert about the next supposed visitor, as it were. It was only a matter of time at this point.

No, that would be a lot of unnecessary energy wasted. It wasn’t worth it. For all he knew this one wouldn’t even show up. Maybe Gluttony had gone home and told the others how badass he was and so the rest didn’t think it’d be worth bothering them. That was a best-case scenario if he ever heard one. It sounded plausible enough to him. Aziraphale didn’t seem to agree.

Though the angel never said as much, he had begun to stick by him more often. It was small stuff like the fact that he would choose to read his books in the same room instead of being hold up in the library. Or how he’d started to insist on eating meals together instead of suggesting it casually. Not that any of that bothered Crowley. There were worse things than seeing his housemate a little more often.

Crowley didn’t particularly mind the company. If he didn’t want to spend time around the angel he wouldn’t have agreed to move in together, after all. There were times when he wondered if Aziraphale even realized that. He could be pretty aloof about certain subjects. Heck, the blond hadn’t even admitted they were friends until his hand was practically forced. Not that Crowley held that against him. He was just like that. Always had been. There was something rather endearing about it.

At the moment his housemate was…. actually, now that he thought about it, Crowley didn’t know. He recalled Aziraphale telling him where he was headed before he went out, but the details of the conversation escaped him. Oh well. It didn’t really matter right now. He was too comfortable to care. He wriggled a bit so he ended up under his heated blanket and made a content sound. He didn’t know who was responsible for inventing such a glorious device, but he wished he could’ve shaken their hand. Five more minutes. Then he’d get up and do that thing he’d said he would. Whatever that was.

 _Lazy, lazy demon._ An unpleasant voice whispered in his head.

Crowley opened one eye and grunted, “Huh?”

 _Good for nothing whatsoever. Waste of space demon._ The same voice added.

“I’d say that was arguable,” Crowley disagreed. He opened the other eye and looked around the room to find that he was all alone. Huh. Weird. Yet he found that he couldn’t help but brag, “many people over the years have seen just how useful my influence can be. The list is practically endless.”

_Who cares? It’s so much effort and all for what? A silly accommodation from your head office that no one even takes seriously. What’s the point in trying so hard?_

Crowley blinked a few times and looked around once more. There was definitely no one else in his room as far as he could tell. He scrunched his face and asked, “Wait. Who are you? What are we talking about?”

 _I am you. A pitiful, lazy demon._ The voice replied.

“I’m not that bad. I even told Aziraphale I’d do the shopping while he was out,” Crowley said in his defense. He’d suddenly remembered that little factoid. He should probably get on that. if he disappointed the angel he would just end up proving the voice right, whatever it was. Now if he could only remember what exactly he needed to go shopping for.

_You’ve lied about doing a great many tasks across the millennia. What’s one more on the long list? You should just relax._

Crowley ground his teeth at that. Sure, that might’ve been true, but there were limits. He did have his standards when it came to being deceptive. In fact, he was just a tad bit offended by the implication that he’d lie to his housemate like that. His voice was a soft growl as he replied, “I’ve lied to my former superiors. Never once to him.”

 _Lie by omission… stretch the truth… sugar coat the bad so it’s less bitter… it’s all the same thing, really… all a neat web of non-truths for your own personal benefit…_ The voice practically laughed.

“Not when it comes to him,” Crowley muttered. Stupid, annoying voice. It didn’t know what the heck it was talking about. As if he’d ever be able to do something that might cause Aziraphale to look at him with disgust or disappointment in his eyes. He pulled his blanket over his head in the hopes of escaping the intrusive thoughts. No such luck.

 _You can always miracle the things you need from the shop. You’re so cozy right now. You should take a long nap._ The voice hummed.

That was a plan he could get behind. He was sure he’d wake in an hour or so and be able to get all sorts of things done. Crowley rolled onto his side and made himself comfortable. He yawned then sighed, “Finally, you say something sensible. I’ll deal with the shopping after I wake up.”

 _Sweet dreams, worthless demon~_ The voice chuckled and then went silent. Crowley might’ve cared about that if he hadn’t already been fast asleep.

“Crowley? Dear me. Sorry to intrude like this…” A soft voice hummed.

Crowley opened his eyes and peeked out from under his blanket. He watched Aziraphale step into his room and walk over to the bed. It was all he could do to lift his head and blink slowly. He attempted to speak, but it came out as a strange grunt instead. He supposed that’d have to do. Making words felt way too exhausting at the moment.

“So sorry to bother you in your personal space like this, but I was wondering if everything was, um, is everything all right?” Aziraphale asked, his voice laced with his concern. His brow knitted together with his obvious worry and he twiddled his fingers nervously against his chest.

“Mhmmm…” Crowley hummed. Everything had been more than all right while he’d slept. That nap was doing wonders. Too bad it had been interrupted.

“OK. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but you haven’t come out of your room since before I got home yesterday. That and you didn’t do the shopping like you said you would.” Aziraphale paused and frowned to himself. He would’ve done it himself had the demon just said no. Though that wasn’t the point. He blinked a few times and admitted, “I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned or not.”

 _How terrible! The angel wants to take away all the comfort you’ve built for yourself. Send him away. Your pillow misses you._ The voice in Crowley’s head chimed in.

“Nah, I’m good,” Crowley sighed. He motioned vaguely for Aziraphale to leave him alone then yawned.

_Yes, good, you don’t need him interrupting your precious naps. Now back to sleep. Let the warmth you feel dull your senses. Slip back into the world of dreams where everything is as perfect as can be._

Crowley hummed in agreement then laid his head back down and shut his eyes. That sounded nice. He took a deep breath and basked in the sinful delight that was his electric blanket. It felt too good to be a mere human product. Maybe it really had been made by a demon. He’d find them one day and shake their hand for sure.

“If you say so then I suppose it must be true…” Aziraphale muttered as he watched the demon for another moment. Crowley got comfortable and started to snore softly almost immediately. The blond left the room without another word and made sure to shut the door as quietly as possible behind himself. He had a bad feeling about this.

Crowley gasped when he was suddenly jolted awake. It took him a moment to realize that someone was shaking him back and forth. What kind of way was that to wake someone up? Sheesh. He blinked and tried to understand what the heck was going on. What kind of awful person would interrupt such a great nap? It was hard to believe someone could be so cruel. He should rip their throat out just because.

 _Yes! Strike down those that would dare interrupt your nap!_ The voice in his head agreed. It sounded quite pleased with the idea.

“Crowley! What are you still doing in bed! Can you even hear me!” Aziraphale exclaimed as he continued to shake him. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for any sign that he was getting through to the demon. His grip on Crowley’s shoulders tightened when those familiar yellow eyes finally seemed to focus on him.

“It’s just… Aziraphale…” Crowley muttered to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Oh, of course it was. He didn’t live in Hell anymore. Random demons wouldn’t come around waking him up for no reason. This was fine because it was the angel he’d chosen to share his space with. He remembered that and then wasn’t nearly as angry as he’d been a moment ago. He was just tired.

“Just me? What do you mean just? Crowley?” Aziraphale asked, sounding quite panicked. He searched the demon’s face for anything that might clue him into what was wrong.

 _That doesn’t matter. If it were up to him, he would never let you have peace and quiet for your naps again. Always blathering on about some nonsense he read in a book, or some author he got to meet. Pointless. Stupid. Waste of time. To strike him down while you have the chance would only be beneficial_. The voice in Crowley’s head egged him on.

“N…no… I can’t… he’s… my best…” Crowley shook his head in an attempt to clear it. The stupid thing was in such a fog that he could barely think.

“Crowley what’s wrong? Talk to me!” Aziraphale cried.

The sound had been a lot more desperate than he’d heard in a while. It allowed him to focus his thoughts just a tiny bit. Crowley put his hands on Aziraphale’s wrists and pulled them off of him. He couldn’t seem to rid himself of the overwhelming grogginess he felt. Interrupting his nap had really been a terrible idea. It was a bit of a struggle to finally mumble, “I’m just… so tired… let me sleep, angel…”

“You’ve been asleep for three and a half days! I know something isn’t right!” Aziraphale exclaimed.

“I’ve slept… centuries before…” Crowley reminded him. He slumped forward a bit, but the blond caught him and helped prop him back up. A soft groan escaped him. This was getting ridiculous. He just wanted to be left alone. That shouldn’t have been so much to ask.

Aziraphale nodded. He knew that about the sleeping thing and normally wouldn’t think anything of it. This time around he couldn’t shake the feeling he had. He needed to trust his instincts. He did his best to explain that. “Yes, but, I can simply feel that this is different. You must believe me.”

“Dammit, just leave me alone! I want to _sleep_!” Crowley yelled as he tore himself from Aziraphale’s grasp. His voice was a mix of his own and the one inside his head. Weird as that was, he didn’t care. He was too tired for this shit. He just wanted to be left alone so he could go back to sleep for fuck’s sake.

Aziraphale was speechless as he watched Crowley’s eyes flash light-blue then return to their normal yellow color. It was then that everything made perfect sense to him. His gut feeling. Crowley’s outburst. The way the demon had been acting as of late. It was all so obvious. He cleared his throat and stood up. He smoothed out his outfit and muttered, “Ah, that’s my mistake. Of course there’s nothing wrong with wanting to sleep. I apologize for disturbing you. In fact, let me go make you a soothing cup of tea to help you get back to it.”

 _Stupid angel…_ The voice grumbled once Aziraphale shuffled from the room. _You could’ve been rid of him so easily. You’re a coward and a worthless demon._

“He means well…” Crowley mumbled. He frowned to himself and shook his head. He blinked rapidly then squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

 _You’re quite fond of him, aren’t you?_ The voice sounded a bit miffed. _That’s so…_

Now who was the stupid one? What kind of question was that? Crowley snorted then replied, “Of course I am, he’s my–”

_Annoying…_

“Crowley, dear, who are you talking to?” Aziraphale asked sweetly as he stepped back into the room. He had a pair of mugs in his hands. That made sense since he wasn’t one to let someone drink alone, even if it was something like tea. He smiled as he brought them over to the bed.

Crowley massaged his temples. He had the worst headache on top of all this nonsense. He sighed and mumbled, “Uh. No one. Myself, I guess. Don’t really know.”

Aziraphale offered him one of the mugs and nodded. He continued to smile carefreely as he said, “Here, this will help.”

There was a brief moment during the passing of the mug when their fingers brushed against each other that caused Crowley’s pulse to quicken. That wasn’t anything new. It had been going on for centuries. If they happened to touch briefly like that the reaction was expected. He usually just ignored it, honestly. This time, however, there was a soft yet annoyed grunt in his head. Crowley didn’t think much of it. He was tired and the sooner he drank this the sooner Aziraphale would leave him be so he could rest.

He took a large gulp of the tea, not caring that one usually let such a thing cool a bit first. What was a little heat to a demon? Two more gulps as big as the last, and he’d finished it off. He handed the mug back to the angel then made a strange face. His chest felt weird. It had nothing to do with any brief brush of fingers this time. He put a hand over it and noticed that his pulse had begun to race. Not like it had previously, but a much more intense way. It was much faster than usual to the point where he felt it constrict a bit. His vision blurred for a second then refocused on Aziraphale.

“Angel? What’s– _ah_!” The voice in his head grunted and Crowley gripped at the front of his shirt. He was on his feet and stumbling forward a moment later. He reached out for something to brace himself on but found nothing. He gritted his teeth and muttered, “ _Ack_. Something. Wrong.”

“Oh, that’d be your body attempting to store an extreme amount of energy all of a sudden.” Aziraphale explained calmly. He caught the demon with one arm then held up his mug. “That’s because this is an extra caffeinated brand to which I’ve added even more herbs that boost energy. It was basically the wake-up shot you desperately needed.” 

Crowley growled softly then doubled over and started to breathe in labored pants. A loud screech rang through his mind and he put his hands over his ears then shook his head to try and clear it. It only seemed to get louder and more demanding as it yelled for him to make it stop. Make what stop? He had no clue what that was supposed to mean. But he did know that there was something wrong with this situation. There should only ever be one voice in his head, and that was his own.

Through the maddening screeches he managed to find a bit of clarity. He didn’t know how, or why, but he fully remembered himself in that moment. Whatever was happening would end now. He’d see to it. Crowley gripped at his own hair and tugged hard as he exclaimed, “Get out of my head you _bastard_!”

There was one final screech followed by a soft thud and suddenly it was quiet in his mind. Thank whatever deity was listening for that. Both Crowley and Aziraphale looked down at the ground to see a light blue slug wriggling uncomfortably. He could hardly believe it. Crowley’s whole face scrunched in disgust and he yelled, “Oh, gross! Did that just fall out of my hair! I feel violated! Who do I file a complaint with! I’ll take this all the way to the top!”

_You feel violated? How the Heaven do you think I feel? All that energy pumping through you so suddenly like that. Bleh, I think I’m gonna be sick._

Aziraphale’s eyes widened and he gasped, “Oh. It talks.”

“Of course it talks. It’s a Sin.” Crowley snapped. He didn’t mean to sound cross, but man was he exhausted. This whole thing had taken way too much out of him and he was over it. He glared at the slug on the floor and added, “Shut up, by the way.”

 _You may have bested me in this little game but that doesn’t matter. My other siblings are far more devious than I at this sort of thing. They’ll break you two in the end. Say goodbye to any hopes you had for a fairy tale happy ending._ Sloth snickered.

“Go to hell,” Crowley spat. He lifted his foot and stomped on the slimy creature. Light blue ooze seeped out from either side of his shoe. Gross. Good thing he’d been too tired to care about undressing properly before he’d fallen asleep. He shook his head then massaged his temples. His headache had only gotten worse. It had been way too long since his mind was his alone. Just how long had Sloth been camping in there waiting to make its move? Ugh. The whole thing was disgusting. It was a truly heinous creature.

Aziraphale frowned at the ooze on the floor. He had a worried look upon his face as he glanced at Crowley and asked, “So the Sin is gone? You’re back to just being you?”

“Yeah I’m the only demon left in here,” Crowley replied as he tapped his head. That hadn’t been his best idea since it only caused his headache to worsen. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Aziraphale hugged him suddenly. “Wha–”

“Thank heavens. You really gave me quite a scare. For a moment I actually thought that– oh, it doesn’t matter,” Aziraphale said before he let out a soft sigh of relief. He squeezed just a bit tighter because it actually did matter. Quite a bit. He kept that information to himself.

“Sorry,” Crowley muttered with a frown. He lifted his right hand and just barely allowed himself to return the embrace. He couldn’t tell if his heart racing was because of the tea still raging through his system or not. He had a sneaking suspicion that had nothing to do with it. He let his hand fall away from the angel and added, “And thanks for… you know. I have to admit that was pretty clever of you.”

Aziraphale took a step back from him and nodded. He smiled to himself and replied softly, “Anytime.”

There was a moment of silence after that where neither of them could bring themselves to look at the other. Crowley didn’t know what that was about and he didn’t have time to analyze it. He lifted his foot and made a disgusted face at the awful squelching sound he heard. He stuck out his tongue and then grumbled, “I really need a shower after all that.”

“Understandably so.” Aziraphale nodded. He hurried to leave the room so the demon could have his privacy. He paused in the doorway and turned back towards him then asked, “Would it be all right if… Can we talk? After you’re done, I mean.”

“I don’t see why not,” Crowley shrugged. He managed to kick off his one shoe with the other and was left to hop around the puddle of ooze. Should’ve thought that one through a bit.

“Lovely. OK. I’ll, uh, see you in a bit.” Aziraphale quickly hurried off after that.

Crowley took his time in the shower. It didn’t seem to matter how much he scrubbed, he didn’t feel like he was clean. He’d seen some nasty stuff in his day, but that horrible Sin had really grossed him out. In the end he just had to accept the fact that he was as clean as he could be. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. Sleeping for the next century honestly didn’t sound like such a bad idea with how drained he felt. Though he couldn’t exactly leave Aziraphale on his own like that in good conscience.

His mind wandered to that hug earlier. It had been unexpected to say the least. In all the years they’d known one another, he could probably count the number of times anything like that happened on one hand. Crowley understood that it had been a heat of the moment thing. Aziraphale was overcome with relief after nearly drowning in dread. Still, he was sure he wouldn’t forget just how tightly the angel had held onto him for quite some time. For just a moment he was able to forget about everything else besides the warmth of the blond’s embrace. He’d done the right thing by only allowing himself to use one arm as he returned the hug. Had he wrapped both around Aziraphale, well… it was a good thing he hadn’t.

Speaking of, he supposed he shouldn’t keep the guy waiting any longer. He sounded like he really wanted to talk earlier. Crowley finally sauntered out of his bedroom and wandered through the cottage. Aziraphale hadn’t said where he wanted to talk but there were only so many options. Crowley found himself wondering what this conversation of theirs would be about. The angel had seemed rather nervous about it, but that really wasn’t anything new. There was only one way to find out.

He poked his head into the various rooms as he walked past them. Library? Nope. Extra bedroom that had since been turned into another library? Nope. Room where they kept various paintings they’d had commissioned of themselves over the centuries? Crowley paused for a moment to admire the painting of himself holding a shiny red apple that was nearly as tall as the wall it hung on. He wasn’t ashamed to say it was one of the best pieces of art he’d ever seen. Yeah, OK, he understood why Pride had come for him. There wasn’t time to delve into all that. He shut that door then continued his search.

He peeked into Aziraphale’s room and found that he wasn’t there either. There were only a handful of places left so he had to finally be getting close. The kitchen was also a bust, which was a surprise. So he continued onward until he meandered into the living room. It was there that he finally found the angel. He watched Aziraphale pace back and forth while he mumbled incoherent nonsense to himself.

“You’ll wear out the rug going on like that,” Crowley said loudly.

Aziraphale stopped and turned towards him. He furrowed his brow then said, “Crowley, please, this is serious.”

“What is?” Crowley walked into the room and made himself comfortable on the arm of the couch. He raised a curious eyebrow at the angel as he waited.

“The reason I wanted to speak to you,” Aziraphale mumbled. He looked around them as if he was making sure they were alone. Not that it was strictly necessary, but he was used to doing that kind of thing when they had to meet in secret over the centuries. His voice was soft when he added, “I’ve thought it over and managed to come to a very difficult decision.”

Crowley had seen Aziraphale distressed before, countless times, but this was a different level. He seemed to be at war with himself over whatever it was he wanted to say. Crowley remembered a similar scene to this, back in the late 1960s, in his Bentley. Perhaps he’d finally come to his senses about them upping their security around here. It wasn’t as if _he’d_ be risking anything in keeping some holy water hidden around the house. Frankly, neither would Crowley as long as he knew what to stay away from. The pros completely outweighed any cons. Maybe the angel had come to that same conclusion now. He crossed his arms and tilted his head then continued to eye the blond and said, “Do tell.”

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I absolutely refuse to have deadly stashes of holy water hidden throughout our living space. I don’t care how practical you think it is. I’d never forgive myself if the worst were to happen and…” Aziraphale’s voice trailed off and he frowned. He held Crowley’s gaze for a heartbeat then finally looked away. He cleared his throat then added, “However, I _do_ agree that we’ve already been caught off guard too many times. We need a way to defend ourselves in an extreme situation.”

“What exactly did you have in mind since hellfire is also out of the question?” Crowley asked with an exasperated sigh. The fire wouldn’t make any sense for a few reasons. The obvious being that it wouldn’t affect the Sins. Being the high-level demons that they were, immunity to all kinds of fire was simply one of the perks. If attacked with something like that they’d only end up laughing it off. Frankly that’d be too embarrassing and Crowley knew they’d never let him live it down.

However, the more important reason would be that it’d put Aziraphale at risk and that simply wasn’t happening. Crowley knew how to handle himself when it came to something like avoiding the stashes of holy water around the house, but he absolutely didn’t trust the angel not to get into unnecessary trouble. Inviting such into their home would be an act of madness. He’d simply known the blond way too long to see it any other way. One day he’d walk into a room with his nose stuck in a book and accidentally bump into the one vessel that happened to contain hellfire then– he shuddered at the thought. There was just no reason to keep that stuff on hand.

“This,” Aziraphale held up a necklace with a tiny glass vial dangling from the end of it. He tilted the vial to show that there was liquid inside.

“Is that…?” Crowley’s eyes were glued to the necklace. He knew it was. Anything he’d just been thinking about was gone from his mind. All that was left was a thousand and one questions about what was happening right now.

“Fairly new technology. It was supposed to be used in the war, but that never happened.” Aziraphale nodded as he explained it. The vial swayed back and forth slowly and he continued, “It’s a highly concentrated dose of holy water. Extremely potent.”

“Angel, I don’t understand. You’ve been vehemently against bringing holy water into our home and now you bring _super_ holy water in? Did I miss something?” Crowley asked as he blinked at him. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of ridiculous expression was on his face right now. It probably matched his utter confusion.

“Yes, I know it seems rather mad, but this is a desperate situation. Plus, the vial itself is quite special. It’s made of a unique type of glass which allows it to hold much more than it seems. Angel technology and all that. You remember. The most important bit is that this particular glass will only shatter upon its owners command.” Aziraphale walked over to Crowley and took his left hand. He placed the necklace into his palm then closed the demon’s fingers around it. He held his gaze and added softly, “That’d be you.”

“I’m… I don’t know what to say… this is…” Crowley looked down at his own hand and blinked. He knew he should respond but he couldn’t seem to remember how to make words work properly. He slipped the thin chain over his head and let the necklace settle. He fiddled with the little vial that landed at his mid-chest in absolute awe. Such a harmless looking thing and yet so incredibly deadly. This may have been the greatest gift anyone had ever given him. He had no idea how to respond.

Aziraphale’s voice was soft yet serious as he added, “I can’t stress enough how much I need you to be careful with that, Crowley. This isn’t something to use without good reason. It should be your absolute last resort if all other hope is lost. Do you understand?”

“Of course I do,” Crowley muttered. He stared at the vial for another few seconds then he tucked it into his shirt. It’d be best not to advertise that he had something like that. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise if he needed to use it.

Aziraphale nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his companion as he replied, “Good. Then I guess I’ll just go and–”

Crowley didn’t even think before he cut him off. He recalled that the angel had run off last time too. It didn’t have to be that way. He pouted ever so slightly and asked, “Really? You wouldn’t rather stick around?”

Aziraphale frowned to himself as he considered it. His eyes shifted to the spot where he knew that vial now sat beneath the demon’s shirt then he quickly looked away. He just barely shook his head. Guilt flashed in his eyes.

“You’ve been alone since I slept for the past few days, right? Wouldn’t you rather have a meal together tonight?” Crowley tried again. Honestly it was the least he could do right now. A meal with his housemate sounded pretty good to him. Not to mention the blond had nothing to look so upset about and he could take the time to reassure him of that. He knew to use this gift responsibly.

The edge of Aziraphale’s mouth curved upwards in a little smile. He glanced at the demon out of the corner of his eye and hummed, “Yet another successful temptation for the books. A meal would be lovely. I'll go get everything ready.”

Crowley had a little half-smile on his face as he watched the blond hurry out of the room with a hop in his step. Once he was alone, he reached into his shirt and removed the vial. His gaze was fixed upon how the water within caught the light as he tilted it side to side. He was completely awestruck to know he was entrusted with such a powerful object. Say what you would about the angel, he always found new ways to surprise him. Life was certainly a whole lot more interesting with him around. Crowley huffed to himself then tucked the necklace back into his shirt and meandered out of the room as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Don't want to close my eyes_  
>  _I don't want to fall asleep_  
>  _'Cause I'd miss you, babe_  
>  _And I don't want to miss a thing_  
>  -
> 
> That wasn’t the Sin itself, but a mere vessel. So basically it was discorporated when Crowley stomped it
> 
> You shouldve hugged him back properly Crowley you coward. Whatever dam breaks because of that is of no consequence 
> 
> Angel technology is bigger on the inside. Ba dum tss. I thank you.
> 
> oh i keep forgetting to mention that you can feel free to stop by my tumblr and scream about this ship with me because theyre excellent <3  
> https://cloversdreams.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

“Quite marvelous weather for a flea market, wouldn’t you agree?” Aziraphale hummed with a little smile. He hadn’t actually expected his housemate to agree to join him on this trip when he’d asked earlier, so he was quite pleased. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling about it as they walked down the street that was littered with vendors of all sorts.

This flea market was a little bit further than the normal town they popped into for all their usual needs. About two towns over, to be more precise. He’d noticed a flyer about the upcoming event when he was visiting a shop a few days ago. It sounded like a good time to him. From snacks to foreign wares, there was something for everyone at such an event. It was especially nice to be in a different town and be able to observe an entirely new group of people.

“A bit too marvelous, yes,” Crowley muttered in agreement. He looked up at the cloudless sky then glanced at his companion and added, “In fact, it’s so perfect it’s nearly able to be deemed a miracle, I'd say.”

Aziraphale glanced at the sky then looked back down again to focus on where they were headed. He shook his head and replied, “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I had nothing to do with it.”

“Meaning you _did_ know what I was implying,” Crowley snickered. He couldn’t help but look amused as he watched the angel out of the corner of his eye.

“I still had nothing to do with it. We just got lucky.” Aziraphale couldn’t even pout over the teasing. He was just glad to spend this time with his companion. Crowley didn’t usually go to such events unless he had a good reason. As far as Aziraphale knew, he didn’t have one this time. He wasn’t exactly doing temptations for Hell anymore. That meant it was a chance for the two of them to spend time together. Aziraphale was always up for something like that. A snack cart caught his eye and he gasped then motioned to it.

Aziraphale was giddy as a clam to buy them each a tasty treat. He didn’t know what it was about food sold at events like these, it was always so scrumptious. He made content little noises as he munched on his snack and they continued to wander around. He was in awe of practically everything he saw. Humans were all so clever with all the new things they came up with over the centuries. It never ceased to amaze him. He knew that Crowley felt the same even if he never said as much. He could see the wonderment in his eyes even behind the dark glasses he always wore.

They came across a person selling quite an assortment of magic tricks and Aziraphale’s eyes sparkled as he looked them over. Crowley groaned loudly then complained the entire time before he finally mumbled something about how he might’ve been a demon but the person that came up with the concept of magic tricks was far worse than he’d ever be. Aziraphale disagreed with a joyous grin. He bought some new cards, because he could never have enough of those, then thanked the merchant and they moved on.

“Angel, are you done here? I’m getting bored.” Crowley complained.

“Nonsense, it’s only been five minutes,” Aziraphale shushed him. He was enjoying himself far too much to leave now. There was still so much for them to see.

“More like thirty-five, but who’s counting…” Crowley muttered under his breath. He followed Aziraphale into a tent and scrunched his face as he looked around. Of course the angel would find the one place that sold nothing but books. He didn’t really listen as Aziraphale struck up a conversation with the merchant. He looked all around himself for anything that was remotely interesting then made an intrigued noise when he spotted something outside. He was sure that the surprised look upon his face matched his tone as he said, “Would you look at that? A whole stand dedicated to different kinds of plant misters. I had no idea there was such a variety of them out there.”

“Sorry, did you say something?” Aziraphale asked as he turned towards the demon.

Crowley had already turned and started to walk away. He waved over his shoulder as he muttered, “I’m just gonna pop over there for a minute, angel. Be right back.”

“Be careful,” Aziraphale hummed. His mind had wandered to the necklace that he knew was beneath the demon's shirt. He still wondered if giving it to him had been the right thing to do. Just thinking about it made him anxious. Though the way his companion wore it with confidence did ease that somewhat. There really wasn’t anything quite like seeing the demon happy.

Crowley paused and turned back towards him. He had a crooked smile on his face as he replied, “Just who do you think you’re talking to? Careful is my middle name.”

“Surely you mean Jareful?” Aziraphale teased.

“Shut up,” Crowley snorted with an amused smirk upon his face. Then he left the tent and headed towards his new destination.

Aziraphale turned back towards the merchant that wore a bright yellow sunhat and smiled. The man seemed patient enough and had a kindness in his eyes. Aziraphale nodded and said, “Sorry about that. What was it you were saying?”

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date if you need to go…” The merchant hummed and motioned towards Crowley with his head.

“Oh, this isn’t a–! He and I aren’t–! Not that I’d be against–” Aziraphale cleared his throat. There was no need to get flustered over such a thing. At the moment he was a lot more interested in this seller’s wares than the weird way his gut fluttered when someone assumed he was dating his housemate. He finally smiled and said, “He’ll be fine on his own. Please continue what you were saying earlier.”

“Well, as I mentioned a moment ago, I travel the world and pick up all kinds of books that catch my fancy along the way. I’ve been doing this most of my life. You could say it’s my passion.” The merchant turned his head and motioned towards the stacks of books around himself. “These are all from my personal collection. I’m hoping to find someone to sell them to that’s as passionate about keeping them in pristine condition as I have been.”

“Then you’re in luck, my friend,” Aziraphale replied with a delighted hum in his voice. He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket and put them on. Then he picked up the closest book to himself and started to examine it as he explained, “I used to own a bookshop, myself. It specialized in the rarer, antique side of book collecting. After I moved to my new cottage, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of a single one of them. I’ve got two libraries in my home just to house them all.”

A grin spread across the merchant’s face. “A fellow collector, eh? I knew there was something I liked about you.”

“Oh, thank you,” Aziraphale huffed with a soft smile. He turned his attention back to the book he held and nodded. “You certainly have kept this in marvelous condition since it’s a first edition. I’m impressed. Most humans don’t bother.”

The merchant blinked at him. “Humans?”

“Ah. I mean people, of course.” Aziraphale chuckled nervously then put the book down. He picked up another and looked it over to find it was just as well taken care of. Something within him felt like it was lit aflame. It wasn’t often that he found himself a kindred spirit. He and this merchant shared a love of books unlike any other he’d seen. It warmed his heart. He looked up from the book and asked, “Do you have any other first editions with you today?”

“I brought a few, yes,” The merchant nodded then turned around. He dug through the piles of books and made a little ‘ah’ sound each time he found one of the ones he’d been looking for. He made two small stacks of four then brushed off his hands and said, “There they are. All the first editions I decided to bring to the market today.”

“Lovely,” Aziraphale hummed as he took the top book off the closest stack to him and began to inspect it. He didn’t look up from it when he asked, “What would you charge for them?”

“Well, individually I’d say they’re each worth about…” The merchant made a face and muttered a few numbers softly to himself.

“No, kind sir, I meant for the whole set,” Aziraphale quickly corrected him. He couldn’t explain why exactly but he found that he really needed these books. He just had to buy them and was willing to give this merchant any amount of money he asked for. However, he didn’t want to look as desperate as he felt so he remained calm and smiled.

There was a gleam in the merchant’s amber eyes as he replied, “I’m pretty sure we can come to an agreement that suits us both.”

“I’m all ears,” Aziraphale nodded.

“Crowley, dear! There you are!” Aziraphale chirped when he finally caught sight of the demon. He had a hop in his step and a smile on his face as he hurried over to him.

Crowley turned towards him and blinked. His gaze fell to the bags in the angel’s hands and he hummed, “Oh, Aziraphale. Done with your book tent already? You didn’t buy the whole thing, did you?”

“Hardly, I only bought eight,” Aziraphale snorted. He had a happy gleam in his eyes as he added, “I was given an extraordinary price that I absolutely couldn’t refuse. I gave the merchant my card and everything so he can alert me about other rare finds he comes across.”

“Your card? He's not going to show up at our home like those girl scouts, is he?” Crowley eyed him for a moment. He cocked his eyebrow at the blond and replied, “And _eight_ really isn’t a small number when you’ve already got two libraries nearly full to bursting at home.”

“Pish posh,” Aziraphale snorted. He dismissed the thought. He looked down at the two bags that the demon held and asked, “What did you find, then? You don’t usually buy things when we go out like this.” Aziraphale knew that they didn’t go out like this quite often but his point still stood. Crowley rarely splurged on things he could just miracle for himself.

Crowley looked thrilled to be asked. He held up his bags and beamed as he replied, “New cutting-edge plant mister set. I'll break them in later.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Aziraphale replied with a warm smile. It didn’t matter that he didn’t particularly understand the hobby, or what exactly the demon meant just then. It was something Crowley enjoyed and he supported that to no end, just as the demon did when it came to his love of books.

“Does this mean you’re ready to go home now?” Crowley asked with a hopeful gleam in his yellow eyes. It was obvious even behind the sunglasses.

It was Aziraphale's turn to have a gleam in his eyes. He smiled and shook his head. “Not quite yet, dear. There are still a few more tents I'd like to visit first.”

“While carrying all this stuff?” Crowley groaned. He watched Aziraphale adjust the bags he held so they were all in one hand. Then he motioned for him to hand over the ones he had as well. Crowley did so and didn’t say a word as the angel waved his free hand then they all disappeared at once. He knew from experience that they’d all be waiting for them on the kitchen counter when they got back home. He ignored that smug smile on the angel’s face and rolled his eyes then muttered, “Let's get on with it.”

The last three tents turned out to all have different dessert shops in them. Aziraphale smiled brightly as he bought himself some snacks to take home. There was an extra hop in his step afterwards. He glanced at Crowley to see that he had a little smile on his face too. He wasn’t sure what that was about, but it was nice. Somehow it just made the day seem that much better. He knew not to say a word about it or the smile would be gone so he kept the thought to himself.

Aziraphale found himself lost in one of the books he’d purchased from the flea market. He’d read through it all night long and it was now the morning. He’d only stopped to make himself some cocoa and grab a light snack. Now he was back on the couch in his library, cozy as could be, ready to dive right back in. He opened to the page where his bookmark sat then jumped when a voice broke the silence in the room. He looked up just in time to watch his housemate saunter by the door.

“Headed out to the greenhouse, angel. As usual, don’t bother me unless there’s an emergency.” Crowley called with a little wave in his direction. A moment later his head appeared within the doorframe and he added, “I’ll remind you now that crêpes are _not_ an emergency.”

“One time and he never lets me live it down…” Aziraphale sighed to himself after the demon walked away. It wasn’t his fault that the guy didn’t see the value of such a delicious food. Oh well. He took a sip of his cocoa then opened the book and picked up where he’d left off.

Aziraphale didn’t know how long he’d been reading before he heard the sound of the doorbell echo throughout the cottage. He looked up from his book and let out an irritated huff. Since his housemate wasn’t in the house he supposed it was up to him to answer it. He placed his bookmark in the book then set it down on the couch. As he approached the front door he found himself wondering if it would really be so bad not to answer. Of course it would be, he’d feel bad about it all afternoon if he did something like that.

It was quite a surprise when he opened the door to find the merchant from the book tent at the flea market, wearing the same yellow hat and everything. He was glad that Crowley wasn’t around to mock him about this surprise visit. He’d called it and that had just been a passing sarcastic comment about handing over his card to the man. Oh he’d _never_ hear the end of it if Crowley saw this guy. Aziraphale pushed past the momentary surprise and plastered a nervous smile upon his face as he said, “Oh, um, hello. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

The man removed his yellow sunhat and held it against his chest. He nodded then said, “Apologies for showing up unannounced like this, but I’m afraid the matter is quite urgent.”

“Well that sounds rather serious. Is everything all right?” Aziraphale couldn’t help but ask. He cared for all creatures, great and small. That was just in his nature. If this poor human was in need of assistance he absolutely had to hear the guy out.

“There’s been a family tragedy overseas,” The man explained.

“Goodness!” Aziraphale gasped.

“I don’t have time to go into detail on the matter. I’ll be going there to deal with the aftermath and have no idea when I’ll be back.” The man put his hat back on his head. He had a serious gleam in his eyes as he added, “I saw something special in you when we met. I knew that if there was one other person who would properly care for my book collection in the way it deserves, it’d be you.”

Aziraphale’s eyes widened. “Oh, well, I’m honored but I don’t really think–”

“Oh no, I insist. Please take and care for them. No charge. Here, I brought the lot.” The merchant motioned for him to follow then turned and walked over to a trailer hooked to the back of his car.

“You brought them with you?” Aziraphale repeated in disbelief. He wondered if he’d misheard the man. He couldn’t help his extreme curiosity and thus he followed the man and asked, “All of them?”

“Well I had to, didn’t I?” the merchant chuckled. He opened the back of the truck so the blond could see for himself.

“Surely you jest.” Aziraphale said the words as his eyes traveled over the contents of the truck. He was in complete awe of the sight of all the boxes that filled every available space. Just how much time had this man spent preparing all this? Only to bring them all here because he knew they’d be well taken care of? He was a bit proud of that, actually. There wasn’t anyone else in the world that probably would care for them as much as him. Still, this whole thing seemed a bit mad. He heard a loud noise then looked around to find the man wasn’t standing near him anymore.

He looked around then meandered by the side of the truck and finally found the merchant. He’d just finished unhooking his car. It seemed that he was completely serious about all this. Mad as it was, Aziraphale couldn’t bring himself to stop the guy. For one, the thought of obtaining so very many new books to peruse was enticing to say the least. Sure his housemate might have something negative to say on the subject, but what Crowley didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. If he got the books inside sooner rather than later he’d never even have to mention it to the demon.

“You’re actually serious about this,” Aziraphale said mostly to himself. Hearing the words out loud didn’t do anything to help him believe them. He couldn’t do anything but watch the man scurry about. They should really take a minute and talk this through. There must be a rational way to handle the situation. He had no idea if he was overthinking it. As much as he knew he probably should, he didn’t _want_ to turn the books away.

“Thank you for doing this, you’re an angel,” The man said as he sat in his car and pulled the door shut.

“Well, that so happens to be true, but–” Aziraphale didn’t even have the chance to finish the thought before the engine started and the merchant took off. It was all he could do to step out of the way so he didn’t get run over in the process. His mouth was agape as he watched the car get smaller and smaller until it was completely gone. Then his eyes shifted back to the trailer that had been left behind.

That was odd. There was nothing even remotely normal about the interaction. He knew such. He had every right to be suspicious of the whole ordeal. And yet, as Aziraphale looked at all the boxes that were filled with books he had a realization. They’d done nothing wrong. It wasn’t any of their faults that he’d acquired them in such a strange manner. There was no need for any of the books to have to suffer. Not to mention he never knew just what wonders hid within those boxes. It’d be a lie to say he wasn’t just a bit excited to find out.

He turned back towards the house and found that he was still alone. A quick wave of his hand later, and all the boxes in the trailer had disappeared. They’d been miracled to his library so he could go through them in peace. All that was left was to get rid of the trailer. Another wave of his hand and it miniaturized. He bent down and picked up what was essentially a toy then stood upright again and smoothed out his outfit. He nodded to himself and headed back inside.

As soon as he walked into the foyer, he heard footsteps. He wasted no time in sending what he held to the library via quick miracle as well. That was when he heard a surprised grunt. Aziraphale turned towards the sound and smiled.

Crowley walked over to him then glanced out the open door and back at him. He looked the angel over then raised a curious eyebrow in his direction and asked, “What were you doing out there, angel?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thought I heard… things.” Aziraphale wasn’t fond of being dishonest. He simply had no idea how he’d even explain what just happened. He couldn’t even wrap his own head around the situation, so how could he expect his housemate to?

“You were looking for those girl scouts again, weren’t you?” Crowley shook his head and shut the front door. He wasn’t the least bit surprised.

“Do you really see me as such a glutton?” Aziraphale mumbled with a pout. That was probably a poor choice of words on his end considering the look Crowley gave him afterwards. He huffed softly and looked away from the guy. Though for the life of him he couldn’t think of a better excuse for being outside than the one the demon offered.

Crowley shrugged and hummed, “Well if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”

“I’m not a duck either,” Aziraphale replied without missing a beat. He began to walk away and added, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a book in my library.”

“Uh huh,” Crowley mumbled as he watched him leave. He frowned to himself for a moment. The blond was nearly out of sight by the time he finally called, “See you for dinner later?”

“Yeah. Sure. OK.” Aziraphale hadn’t really been listening. He simply couldn’t stop thinking about the potential gold mine he had waiting. To dig through those boxes would surely be one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to him.

Aziraphale shut the library door behind himself. He was sure that he wouldn’t be bothered. Even if Crowley wanted to dine together he usually waited for that to happen naturally. He wasn’t one to seek such a thing out. Generally, they waited until Aziraphale was peckish. That meant he didn’t have to worry about being disturbed.

It was a little bit of an effort to make his way over to the couch without stepping on anything or knocking something over. The library had become quite crowded with all these new boxes strewn about it. That was all right, though. Once he organized and sorted them then got the boxes out of there all would be well. All the more reason for him to get started.

He made himself comfortable on the couch then grabbed his gloves off the end table next to it. He put those on, followed by his glasses, and opened the closest box to him. A nearly blinding yellow light filled the room momentarily and left him stunned. Aziraphale blinked a few times and then shook his head. He looked around himself curiously. Weird as that had been, nothing seemed out of place. He decided it’d be best to ignore it.

On the very top of the pile in the box sat a black, leather bound book with the words ‘All That Glitters’ written across it in fancy, gold lettering. He picked it up and examined it. There didn’t seem to be any author on the cover or spine. Odd. He’d never heard of it by title alone. Not that there couldn’t be books he didn’t know about in the world, but he found it intriguing. He noticed that the edges of the pages were also gilded with gold. That happened to be an attention to detail he rather liked. He would have to read this one sooner rather than later. He set it down on the couch next to himself then turned back to the box.

The next book he removed was one he already owned but quite a rare edition. It had less than two hundred copies of this particular version printed. Aziraphale didn’t know whether he wanted to hug it or just cry over how amazing it was. This only gave him even more anticipation about what he might find next. He placed the book down and picked up another. Once that was inspected, he was onto the next. He began to organize them into piles according to which books he wanted to read through first, and which didn’t quite need his attention.

The sound of a soft chime got his attention and he looked up from the book he held. Aziraphale glanced at the clock that hung on the wall and had alerted him to the fact that it was dinner time. He looked at the stacks of books around himself and wondered just how long he’d been at this. It felt like he hadn’t even scratched the surface of the gold mine he had. He furrowed his brow as he thought to himself. What did time matter to a being such as him? it was all rather pointless, wasn’t it? It wasn’t like he needed food to survive. Dinner was pretty meaningless. He could deal with that at another time.

Aziraphale waved his hands and put up a barrier around the library. It would slow the passage of time. He watched the second-hand on the clock slow to nearly a standstill. That should be enough to let him continue what he was doing without being disturbed again. He turned his attention back to the book he’d been looking through. It probably went in the pile over to his left that was designated ‘I didn’t have it and know nothing about it’.

He put the book down then reached for another. It was hard to believe that these were all his now. He supposed he finally understood that human phrase about something being ‘a dream come true’. If he ever had dreams such as they did, he was sure they’d be exactly like this. He was positively entranced as he opened the book to inspect it.

With each box he managed to empty another three seemed to appear. Aziraphale didn’t have a single complaint about that. He wanted more. He wanted them all. He always had and he didn’t see the point in denying it. Back at his old shop he used to find a million and one excuses not to sell a human one of his possessions. Now he could bask in the feeling of having all the books he could ever want to himself. Pure bliss. He continued to look through his new books with a satisfied grin upon his face.

It was only when a knock at the library door got his attention that he finally looked up again. He furrowed his brow and looked back down at the book. If he didn’t answer they’d leave him alone, he was sure of it. A second round of knocking was accompanied by a voice this time. Aziraphale gritted his teeth and shut the book in his lap then turned towards the sound.

“What is this? A sort of… time barrier… thing? What exactly are you doing in there?”

Aziraphale brought the book to his chest and squeezed it. His brow knitted together and he shouted, “The books are all mine, Crowley! You can’t have them!”

There was another pound against the door, followed by another in a different spot as if Crowley was testing the strength of it in various areas. His voice was calm as could be when he finally replied, “Angel, what the Heaven are you talking about? I don’t now, nor have I ever, wanted your books.”

“That’s a likely story to lull me into a false sense of familiarity and security so you can take what’s mine,” Aziraphale grumbled. He knew better than to fall for such a thing. He was done with this conversation. He turned his back to the door as if the demon could some how see it.

“Oh, this is ridiculous. I’m coming in.” Crowley’s accompanying eye roll was practically audible.

“You can’t do that because I’ve–” Aziraphale stopped mid-sentence and blinked at the sudden appearance of the demon in the room. He frowned to himself and mumbled, “completely forgotten that you have no issue bypassing my defenses, as it were.”

If Crowley had heard him he ignored it. He looked around the room that had stacks of books so high they practically touched the ceiling. It was in a state of disarray like he’d never seen. One wrong move in any direction and he’d end up beneath a mountain of books. Maybe he’d never find his way out again. This room hadn’t been so disorganized last time he’d seen it. Or ever, for that matter. Crowley sounded as flabbergasted as he looked when he finally managed to ask, “What the fuck is all this? Where’d it all come from?”

“The boxes,” Aziraphale replied matter-of-factly, “and I don’t appreciate such language in here.”

Crowley made an annoyed sound and scrunched his face. He rolled his eyes when he saw that the blond hadn’t been joking about that. He looked around until he saw a plain cardboard box and figured that was what the angel had meant. He maneuvered over to it and then reached out to touch it but stopped when he heard a sudden yell.

Aziraphale reached for him and shrieked, “They’re mine, don’t touch them!”

“First off,” Crowley held his pointer finger up to silence the angel. He looked at the clock on the wall and snapped. The second hand began to move normally again as the ‘defenses’ were wiped away. Then he looked back towards the frowning blond and said, “Second, as I already said, I don’t _want_ your books.”

“Then what do you want, huh? Why are you always lurking around? It’s suspicious, you know.” Aziraphale made sure to narrow his eyes at him to emphasize the point.

“I don’t lurk,” Crowley grunted, his offense palpable. “At least not around here. I only want to look and see what’s happening in this mysterious box of yours.”

“I really don’t think–”

Crowley held up his hand then pressed his thumb and middle finger together. It would be no effort whatsoever to snap his fingers. He frowned and said, “If you try and stop me again, I’ll make it rain in here.”

“You wouldn’t!” Aziraphale gasped.

“Wouldn’t I?” Crowley immediately asked.

Aziraphale studied the expression on his face and saw that he was not messing around. He didn’t say another word but he did keep his eyes on the demon. His frown only deepened when Crowley opened the box in question and looked inside.

“There really are just books in here,” Crowley muttered. He picked one up and looked it over. There was nothing particularly interesting about it from what he could tell.

“Yes, and they’re mine so give that back!” Aziraphale was on his feet before he even finished speaking. He walked right over to the demon and snatched the book away. Then he muttered something about how he hadn’t even used gloves like a fiend.

Crowley didn’t hear a word of what he said. He looked around the room for anything at all that might explain his companion’s odd behavior. When his gaze fell upon a book that was on the couch right to the side of where Aziraphale had just been sitting he was curious. As far as he could tell it was the only one of the newer books that had the special gold edges. That was suspicious enough for him. He snapped his fingers and the book appeared in his hand.

“All That Glitters, huh? What is this rubbish?” Crowley flipped to a random page in the book only to find it blank. He watched yellow lettering appear on the page and begin to spell out a message. The letters stopped glowing and turned the normal black when it was done writing itself.

_A place to come to terms with the things you want most. I could’ve pinpointed both of your greediest desires with my eyes closed. Too easy._

“Yeah? What exactly do you think I’m greedy for?” Crowley asked, not at all amused.

There was no hesitation and a new set of yellow letters immediately began to appear before him. Crowley frowned as his eyes traveled across them. _His attention. You can’t get that now that he only thinks about books. That’s why you’re on the verge of having a fit._

“I am not!” Crowley exclaimed a bit louder than he’d meant to.

“Hey, what are you doing? Let me see!” Aziraphale gasped as he tried to look at the page.

“No. Get your own Sin vessel to read.” Crowley turned back towards the book and grumbled, “You’ve got one chance to get all this shit out of here before I–”

_Before you what? Destroying this book won’t actually hurt me! I’m resting comfortably at my lavish mansion right now, sipping the finest wine money can buy! I don't give a shit whether or not you pass this stupid trial of yours. Either way, I'm still sitting pretty and have no consequences to face._

“True, but it’ll be satisfying as fuck.” Not to mention it’d release Aziraphale from the Sin’s thrall and be a way to pass their test. That much didn’t need to be said aloud.

_Too bad you can’t do it. Pathetic excuse for a demon. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…_

Crowley growled softly as the mocking laughter continued to appear all over the page. Bastard left him with no other choice. He put his right hand on Aziraphale’s shoulder and shoved him away with an excessive amount of strength. The blond went flying into a stack of books across the room with a surprised squeak. Crowley would apologize about that later. Right now he had something more important to do while they were a good distance apart.

He snarled at the book in his hand and reached into his pocket to remove a small box. It was a good thing he’d gotten it from one of his contacts in case of an emergency. Though it was a one-use kind of thing so he had to make it count. He could feel the box begin to heat up with anticipation of being used. He held the book above it then barely flicked the lid open with his thumb and a sudden burst of hellfire sprang forth from within. It burned the book in his hand to a crisp in an instant.

He quickly snuffed the flames so nothing else was caught in the crossfire. Heh, the angels weren’t the only ones with new toys that hadn’t been used in the averted war. He had to admit the little box had been more fun to test than he’d thought.

With the vessel gone, the Sin no longer had any power in this place. Crowley let out a soft sigh. He turned to look over at Aziraphale and then stopped breathing when he saw the horrified look upon his face. Damn, that earlier shove hadn’t kept him down long enough. He’d watched.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Aziraphale yelped as he scrambled to his feet. That shove didn’t even matter. It was so trivial compared to what else had happened. He hurried over to the demon and took the charred remains of what used to be a book from his hands then whimpered softly. The poor thing did not deserve such a fate. His eyes swirled with a mix of both sorrow and fury when he looked at Crowley again. There was a cold bitterness in his voice as he exclaimed, “You _know_ how I feel about book burning, especially after what happened in Alexandria!”

“ _You_ know that wasn’t my fault. That was the humans.” Crowley immediately defended himself. Not that the angel ever heard him when he did. That was a sore spot that’d probably never heal. He attempted to lighten the mood and muttered, “At least we passed another test.”

There were tears in Aziraphale’s eyes as he stroked the charred cover lightly and whimpered, “At what cost?”

“There was no other way!” Crowley’s voice cracked just slightly. He couldn’t stand seeing Aziraphale in such a state, never mind being the one to cause it. He felt sick.

Something harsh flashed in Aziraphale’s eyes. He turned towards Crowley and spat, “Of course there was. If you’d just take the time to _think_ instead of acting like… like…”

“Like what?” Crowley sneered.

Aziraphale made an annoyed sound then rolled his eyes and turned his head away from him. He didn’t need this shit right now. He was upset and didn’t want to say anything he’d regret. It’d be better if they just walked away for a little while. They could discuss whatever needed to be discussed after they cooled off a bit. Too bad his companion didn’t seem to agree.

“Go on, then! Say it!” Crowley demanded. He stepped closer to the angel so that he was in his face as he hissed, “Like a fiend from the darkest pits of hell with no redeemable qualities whatsoever, right? Like a demon.”

“I didn’t say–”

“News flash, angel, I’ll never be anything else! There’s just no way! If you can’t handle that then what’s the point of any of this?” Crowley motioned all around them with both hands. He didn’t wait around to see if he had a response. He turned and stormed off with a huff. He was already in the hall when he called, “You’re welcome for the rescue, by the way! Enjoy it from atop that high horse of yours!”

Aziraphale frowned to himself. He refused to feel bad because he wasn’t in the wrong. He clutched the charred remains to his chest. The stench was nearly unbearable but he dealt with it. While he didn’t exactly know if Crowley’s question about the point of things referred to the trials or the fact that they were friends at all, he understood where the guy was coming from.

Was there a point to either of those things? How could they possibly have known each other for 6000 years and yet it still felt like they’d barely even scratched the surface of one another? Did they have any right to call themselves friends? He didn’t know. Maybe this whole thing had been a mistake. Maybe they would always be too different to be friends. Maybe ‘hereditary enemies that play nice once in a while’ was as good as it would ever get between them. Aziraphale bowed his head and let out a shaky sigh. He didn’t care one bit for the awful way that thought made him feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _How you turn my world, you precious thing_  
>  _You starve and near exhaust me_  
>  _Everything I've done, I've done for you_  
>  _I move the stars for no one_  
>  -
> 
> Aww its sad to end the chap on a low note… but I never said theyd all end on a high one :’c
> 
> Poor boys. Don’t be mad. No more fighting. Kiss and make uppppp
> 
> i find my motivation to post dwindling... sigh. just gotta remember that the last three chaps are prob the best ones. def want to get to the last two! theyre my favs


	5. Chapter 5

Crowley awoke with a gasp. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was in pain. Lots of it, actually. Everything hurt. He couldn’t pinpoint any specific area of origin because his entire body ached. He lifted his head upright and managed to open his eyes. He blinked as his blurry vision started to focus on his unfamiliar surroundings. This was someplace he’d never been before. A lonely place with no discernable features. It was like being in a storage unit or something. Maybe that’s where he was.

He attempted to move his arms but found them bound behind his back. Crowley’s gaze fell to himself and he realized that he was seated in a chair. No, scratch that, he was bound to the chair he was seated in. Yeah. This didn’t bode well for him. He scrunched his face as he wondered how he’d gotten himself into this mess. Just what had he been doing to end up here?

The memory was fuzzy but he could vaguely recall something about… a fight? Not a physical altercation, no, something way more impactful than that. A fight with Aziraphale. Yeah, that was it. His stomach did an uneasy little flip-flop at the idea. Of course they’d had their fair share of disagreements over the millennia, that was pretty much a given all things considered, but that never sat well with him. He didn’t like upsetting the angel. He couldn’t stand the idea of the blond not wanting to talk to him after such a thing as a petty disagreement. Not when it was all so preventable.

He’d known he’d fucked up even as he stormed out of the library yesterday. Well, he thought it was yesterday. It wasn’t like he had a calendar or anything. Whenever it was, the look on Aziraphale’s face after he burned that book had said all that needed to be said loud and clear. Then Crowley actually had the audacity to turn things around and be the one to go off on him. It was totally undeserved. He’d reacted before his brain had a chance to think about it.

Thinking back on it now he still felt a bit woozy. Although maybe that had something to do with whatever substance was pumping through his body now. He could feel something in his circulatory system that didn’t belong there. It burned in the worst way. He wasn’t very fond of drugs because of that very reason. Humans couldn’t feel what they did to their body the way that celestial beings could. It was terrible and he’d never willingly make himself suffer like this. He wasn’t into that kind of thing.

He continued to try and remember what got him in this situation. It was the best way to distract himself from the awful pain. Back in the library he’d completely overreacted. Aziraphale didn’t deserve the harsh words that were spat at him. Even if he’d realized his mistake quite quickly, Crowley knew that he couldn’t just turn around and march back into the room to tell him that. it wouldn’t be good enough. He had to give them both time to cool off a bit so he could think of a proper way to apologize. That wasn’t exactly something he had lots of experience with.

Ah, yes. He remembered now. He’d been out shopping for a gift for Aziraphale. He’d come to the conclusion that it was the only way to show that he was truly remorseful for the way he’d acted. He’d popped into town and wandered the streets for a while as he tried to figure out what kind of gift would be best suited for something like this. What said ‘I made the effort but not too much so don’t read into it’? It soon became apparent that buying gifts for someone was also not his strong suit.

The only problem was that he couldn’t decide what on earth to get. What did Aziraphale even like? Books, mostly. Did it make sense to get him a book as an apology for burning a different book? Crowley had no stinking idea. He was at a complete loss until a specific shop caught his eye. His gaze traveled over all the delicate chocolates on display in the window and he immediately recalled that the angel was nearly as fond of sweets as he was books. That was probably the best way to go.

So he’d bought an unnecessarily large box of their fanciest assortment. It was the set with the chocolates from all over the world. He thought Aziraphale would enjoy something like that. Then he’d miracled them home so he didn’t have to carry them around. Last thing he needed was unwanted attention. The humans needed only go about their business and he would his. He wasn’t done wandering around yet. If another little bauble caught his eye, he’d pick it up too.

He was sure Aziraphale would find the chocolates before he even got home. That was fine. Perhaps the gift would even put him in the right mind to be forgiving when they actually talked again. Though the angel was usually the first one to jump on the forgiveness train, this situation gave him pause. He certainly wouldn’t want to forgive himself if their roles were reversed. He supposed he could always hope.

It was what happened next that was still a bit unclear. Crowley remembered walking down the street and eyeing the shops then someone calling his name. He turned towards them and then felt a prick in his arm. He remembered letting out an offended ‘oy’. The last thing he’d seen as the drugs took an immediate effect was a pair of haunting green eyes that glowed with malice.

Yeah, he knew what that meant. He’d gotten himself caught by the enemy. Probably without hope that Aziraphale would even realize anything was wrong since he’d stormed out yesterday. It wasn’t unlike them not to talk for weeks or more after a fight. Though this was probably the first real one they’d had since they moved in together. Fuck. What a damn mess. He could figure this out. After all, a certain angel did always call him wily and that had to count for something.

Crowley struggled with his binds a bit. Man, they were tight. He couldn’t seem to use any magic either. This was just getting better the more coherent he became. He looked around again to see if there was anything he could work with. He found his first assumption correct. Not a damn thing was there.

“If you’re looking for a way to escape you can just stop. This room was made with the exact opposite in mind. It’s just you, me, and the chair here.”

Crowley recognized the raspy voice as the same one that had called out to him. He realized that he’d also heard it before this crazy trial business. Oh, this was just great. He turned towards the sound of it and hissed, “Envy.”

“You remember me. I’m flattered.” The Sin replied. It walked into what little light there was so that its grotesque form was completely visible.

The rotting flesh and exposed bone were certainly a sight, even for a demon such as himself, but Crowley found that he couldn’t look away from those eyes. The way those green eyes sparkled like precious gems amid the rest of the disgusting figure was something else entirely. He kind of wanted to pluck them out of the Sin’s skull and keep them as a trophy. That’d be a neat story. A coy smirk played at the edges of his lips as he hummed, “Couldn’t really forget you if I tried.”

“While I know that was supposed to be hurtful, I must tell you that it came across as more of a tease,” Envy snickered.

Crowley groaned loudly in annoyance. Thousands of years ago he might’ve been into this sort of banter but right now he just wanted to get as far away from this jerk as possible. A kidnapping and being drugged simply weren’t his idea of foreplay. He rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Oh, for fuck’s sake, are you gonna torture me or not? This is getting boring.”

“So eager,” Envy tsked. “Were you always so excited to get to the best part? Even when you had wings of pure white upon your back? That’s such a childlike innocence and a very hard look to imagine on you.”

“You and I wouldn’t have gotten along very well back then,” Crowley replied flatly.

“That’s not so bad since we can be friends now.” Envy brushed off the thought. It put a hand upon Crowley’s shoulder and leaned in close then asked, “Do you remember what it was like, Crowley? Living in that world of love and kindness? Being a creature of the heavens?”

“I doubt angels would like you referring to them as creatures. They're kind of picky about that.” Crowley scrunched his face. The Sin had probably never seen Heaven going by that description. It was a cold, empty place where those good feelings just happened to be created. He shrugged as best he could then muttered, “Yeah, I guess it was an all right time. I wasn’t really complaining.”

“And yet you ran with the wrong crowd and fell. Poor you.” Envy practically purred. It stalked around him slowly, like a predator merely toying with its prey.

“Yeah but I’m over it,” Crowley replied without missing a beat. That had been a very long time ago, after all. There were other things he could do with his time instead of dwell on the unchangeable past. He continued to look bored of their conversation as he tested his binds again. Still tied tight with no sign of giving way. He really was fucked.

Envy meandered around him and said, “Doubtful. Don’t you feel that twinge of awful jealousy when you think about how–”

“Nope,” Crowley cut the Sin off. There was no point in going there whatsoever.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Envy growled.

Crowley shook his head. There was a confident gleam in his eyes as he explained, “Doesn’t matter what you were going to say. I don’t feel an ounce of envy towards the angels. I’ve been them. I’ve known them. I’ve met them. Kind of hate them, really. You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think that topic will get a reaction out of me.”

“What?” Envy's shock was palpable. Its green eyes swirled with an unreadable emotion as it glared at the cocky demon.

“I like the earth. I think humans are brilliant. Watching them evolve over the millennia has been more satisfying for me than all the time I spent in both Heaven and Hell combined.” Crowley had said all that before and he would say it again. He wasn’t ashamed of it. He was glad the world hadn’t ended for a multitude of reasons. It was his home.

“I see,” Envy nodded to itself. It held up its right hand and the fingers elongated into horrible, wiggly tentacles. There was a grotesque smile upon its face as it replied, “Let’s see just what makes you tick, then.”

Crowley grunted in pain when the Sin suddenly stabbed him in the chest with its former fingers. The tentacles continued to wiggle as they searched for the information they wanted. It was absolutely disgusting. The worst part was that he couldn’t back away from them even though it was all he wanted at the moment. OK, maybe the actual worst part was having to relive all the memories the stupid demon was currently rifling through. Talk about annoying. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head in an attempt to clear it. That only seemed to make the images more vivid.

“How interesting. You’re right, you harbor no feelings of the sort toward your former brethren.” Envy said mostly to itself as it processed the information it gathered. It made a little ‘oh’ sound then its horrible smile returned. Its green eyes bore into Crowley as it said, “However you're not immune to my charms, little demon. I was simply looking in the wrong place.”

“Doubtful. Bygones and all that.” Crowley sputtered. He wasn’t envious of the angels after everything that happened. It was all so stupidly long ago that it never crossed his mind. His problems nowadays were way different.

“You, demon Crowley, envy those that have more in common with your angel than you do,” The Sin practically purred.

“My angel? What do you mean my an– _ow_!” Crowley yelped when the tentacles dug deeper into his sternum. He gritted his teeth as the searing pain worsened.

“Like this human for instance,” Envy continued. It waved its free hand in the air and the scene around them warbled then changed.

Crowley blinked and took note of the fact that they weren’t in the windowless, bare room anymore. He looked around at the familiar setting. It was Aziraphale’s old bookshop, he’d recognize it anywhere. This was no mere illusion. It was so real that he swore it even smelled the same as it used to. Comforting, homey. It was incredible. He was completely immersed in the vision. When Aziraphale walked into the scene Crowley’s mouth fell slightly agape and he watched it play out in awe.

“Hello, sir, may I help you?” Aziraphale asked the customer that had just set down a book.

“I’m really just looking. This place is incredible, you know. I don’t know how you do it. I could never sell any of my books. They’re all too precious.” The man laughed softly and shook his head. He smiled and gazed fondly at the stacks of books around himself.

“Oh, believe you me, I do my best not to,” Aziraphale chuckled as well.

“Don’t books just… feel so good to hold? And they smell amazing too.” The man sighed. He looked lost in his own daydream for a moment. Once he blinked a few times and refocused on the scene he rubbed the back of his neck then added, “Sorry, I know you don’t want to hear the ramblings of an old man like me.”

Aziraphale shook his hands and declared, “I assure you that I do! I completely agree!”

The two of them continued to grin as they went on about how much they both enjoyed collecting books for various reasons. They talked about authors and what kind of binding they liked best. They even started to go on about what the oldest book they’d ever gotten to hold was. It was all a bunch of nonsense to Crowley. He didn’t care about books. He definitely didn’t care that some human made Aziraphale light up like that. That glowing smile wasn’t even real, anyway.

He watched the angel offer the human some cocoa then show him to the back room. Crowley frowned to himself as the scene changed. The audacity of this human to sit on that couch and sip from that mug like it was nothing. Both of those things had been acquired by Aziraphale to make _him_ more comfortable when they spent time together in the shop. Crowley bit down on his lower lip to keep from making any sounds. The idea that anyone else would be allowed to use them _and_ make the angel giggle like that was infuriating.

It wasn’t real. This was all fabricated because Envy thought it was the best way to get to him. He had to focus on that. All he needed to do was keep trying to escape the binds that kept his hands in place. Then he could show this Sin who the real threat was. He knew that would be his best course of action and yet he couldn’t seem to do anything but watch the awful scene as it played out. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop his blood from boiling at the illusion he was forced to witness. He hated it.

“Or this one~” Envy hummed in a sing-song voice. The illusion warbled again and the scene changed. They were back in the main part of the bookshop.

Crowley couldn’t make out the woman’s face but he supposed that didn’t matter. She was giggly and flirty and Aziraphale returned the sentiment. As much as he wanted to say that the angel didn’t realize what he was doing, it was clear that he did. Crowley couldn’t help but let out a soft, irritated growl. He hated himself for it. The feeling was horrible on its own, but he also knew it was exactly what the Sin wanted. He heard it let out a content sigh. Shit.

The scene changed once again and Crowley was nearly blinded by how bright it suddenly was. He blinked a few times as he looked around. This wasn’t the bookshop. Where the heck were they? Why were there so many flowers and faceless humans around? The sudden sound of music made him jump and he watched as another faceless human appeared. They wore all white. Crowley knew this. It was… what was it…? Finally, when the person in white reached the end of their journey down a path lined with flowers and he saw Aziraphale waiting in a suit he understood. This was a wedding.

He didn’t have much experience with such things, but he understood the gist of them. It was a big deal when it came to humans. An event where two people promised themselves to one another in front of their friends and family. They declared their love and vowed to spend the rest of their lives together.

A horrible spike of jealousy mixed with disbelief hit Crowley so suddenly that he was sure he’d throw up. He turned his head and gagged. Envy grabbed his chin and pulled it back forwards again. Its voice was an amused hum as it said, “Don’t look away or you’ll miss the best part.”

Crowley was wide-eyed as he watched the happy couple lean in for a kiss. His fingers itched with the desire to disembowel that faceless human. He hated the feeling within himself but there was nothing he could do to quell it. That happy gleam in Aziraphale’s eyes was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Crowley couldn’t begin to process it. He blinked and the scene had changed yet again.

“No... I don’t want… to watch this…” The words slipped past Crowley’s lips without his permission. He could do physical torture, and usually mental stuff too, but this was cruel even by his standards. He knew that it wasn’t real. The illusion shouldn’t bother him this much and yet his heart felt like it was being crushed into nothing. He would rather have the Sin put him out of his misery than to watch another one of these scenarios.

The new scene was much darker than the last. Aziraphale and his faceless human stood close to one another as they both smiled down at a slumbering baby. This was the most ridiculous of all the visions. It’d never happen. Crowley wished his heart would agree with his brain for once. He _knew_ this was bullshit. It shouldn’t pain him so much to see it. His feelings were so illogical he wanted to scream. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He just needed a way to make it stop for a few minutes so he could focus on getting himself out of this mess.

Envy walked behind the demon and bent down. Its voice was right next to Crowley’s ear as it said, “He doesn’t even think about you at all anymore. What a good life he’s built with this human. All you ever were was a way to pass the time until he found them.”

“He’d… never…” Crowley gritted his teeth. Focus on the truth. Ignore the lies built to make him suffer. Even if Aziraphale found himself enamored with a human he wouldn’t just throw away six thousand years of friendship like that. They would always be part of one another’s lives in some way, he was sure of it. He did everything he could to focus on that truth and quell the envious spark within himself. That was much easier said than done and felt a bit impossible at the moment.

“Why not? He just needs to meet the right person. Someone that gets him in a way that no one else does. Then he’ll be all theirs.” Envy laughed in its most unpleasant way. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Absolutely terrible.

Oh.

Well, that was a particularly sobering thought. In fact, it gave Crowley such clarity in that moment that he couldn’t do anything but hiss at the Sin. His little epiphany struck him even harder than the illusions had. It was exactly the wake up call he’d needed. He continued to struggle to get at least one hand free from behind himself. He supposed now it was time for one of the things he was better than anyone else at– a bluff.

Crowley side-eyed the Sin and said, “It’s funny you should phrase it like that.”

“Oh?” Envy asked. It walked around Crowley so it stood before him and they were looking at one another then asked, “Why’s that?”

Crowley held his chin in the air and declared, “I happen to know that angelic bastard better than anyone else ever will. It doesn’t matter who else comes into our lives, that will never change. Just like neither of us will ever change at our cores. If there’s one thing I can confidently say, it’s that he got distracted by a little shop with dainty sweets in the window and was delayed in getting here just long enough for me to finish this sentence.”

Envy let out a surprised noise when it was stabbed in the neck with a syringe from behind. Crowley’s eyes widened and he watched in utter disbelief as the Sin shrieked then melted into a puddle of goo. He was sure his shock was written all over his face when he looked up from that to see Aziraphale. The angel looked rather worried. He had to wonder if this wasn’t just another one of the Sin’s tricks. Perhaps it had taken the illusions up a notch. Crowley really hoped that wasn’t the case. He desperately wanted this to be real.

“You didn’t have to make me sound like such a glutton,” Aziraphale muttered then tossed the syringe aside. He waved a hand and undid the binds that held the demon in place. He helped Crowley stand and asked softly, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, it’s just my legs. Whatever drugs it gave me haven’t fully worn off yet.” Crowley wobbled a bit on his feet but the blond caught him so he didn’t fall. No illusion could ever do that. It really _was_ him. Crowley didn’t know what he should think. He let Aziraphale pull his arm around his shoulders to support him better. This all seemed too good to be true.

“Let’s get you back home so you can rest,” Aziraphale hummed. His arm wormed its way around the demon’s waist to better support him.

This position was nearly as intimate as that hug had been. He didn’t deserve to be so close to the angel after the way he’d acted. If he could stand on his own he would’ve pulled away by now. Crowley’s gaze was fixed upon the floor as he mumbled, “You really came for me after what I did…”

Aziraphale blinked a few times as he let that sink in. He looked at the demon out of the corner of his eye and sighed, “Really, Crowley, did you think I could ignore the pain I felt you were in over something as trivial as that?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Crowley replied without missing a beat. “I’ve never met anyone else as emotionally attached to books as you are. Not to mention you can hold a grudge until the end of time if necessary. That nonsense I said to Envy about you showing up was a bluff, really.”

“There would be no sense in letting you die as that would leave me no one to be cross with. Plus I owe you for all the times you’ve saved me from being discorporated.” Aziraphale’s comments were mostly to himself. Probably because it was what he’d said to convince himself to come.

“You have a point,” Crowley glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, “still cross with me, then?”

“Well, I’m certainly not happy with you,” Aziraphale muttered, ever truthful. His expression softened just a tad as he continued, “At the same time, since I owe you an apology for yesterday, I’m relieved that you’re not hurt too badly all things considered.”

Crowley raised a curious eyebrow in the angel’s direction. “Was that it, then? The apology?”

“I’m not quite sure. Did it seem like one?” Aziraphale asked right back.

“Hardly,” Crowley snorted.

Aziraphale nodded. He wasn’t exactly used to having to apologize for things, but he’d do his best. “Then I’m sorry, dear. I hope you realize that I like you just the way you are and don’t want you to change.”

“I hope _you_ know you’re not completely blameless in all this,” Crowley retorted. He needed to do anything to distract himself from the mix of embarrassment and physical pain that flooded him so he supposed banter would have to do. It did come so naturally to the two of them. It was hard to resist.

“How so?” Aziraphale had to ask.

“I was caught while out looking for an apology gift for you. That means you have to take partial responsibility for everything.” It sounded crazy even to him, but at this point he was glad they were talking at all. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what eternity in Hell would’ve been like if they’d left things at him storming out during their last conversation. That’d be a really long time to deal with regret.

A sweet smile spread across Aziraphale’s face. He tilted his head and let out a soft huff then sighed, “Is that what those chocolates were for? They seem lovely, thank you. I can’t wait to properly look at them when we get back.”

Crowley was silent after that. He let Aziraphale miracle them home and had never been so relieved to see a couch before in his life. He practically dragged the angel over to it, wobbly as his legs were. He didn’t try to pull away or argue when the blond set him down gently. There was a moment after Aziraphale removed his arm from around him but hadn’t pulled away yet that Crowley looked up into his eyes.

It immediately struck him that they were close. Perhaps closer than they’d ever been. His eyes widened and he didn’t dare breathe. Being nose to nose with this angel was indescribable to say the least. To be able to study his soft features up close was a gift in itself. To watch his eyes shine with an indescribable emotion was nothing short of a miracle. Crowley could do this for hours on end.

There was something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. What was this feeling? Not the one within himself, he knew exactly what that was, but the one that seemed to be in the air between them. What was it about the cute little blush that had crept into the angel’s cheeks that left him unable to look away? His pulse suddenly quickened and he would’ve gasped softly had he been breathing.

Aziraphale blinked as if he’d just come out of a daze. Then he finally let go of the demon completely. He stood upright, adjusted his bowtie, then asked, “What kind of visions did that Sin show you? You seemed pretty shaken up when I arrived.”

Crowley flopped over onto the couch then snapped his fingers. A blanket appeared and he pulled it over his shoulders. He didn’t look at the blond as he muttered, “You know, the usual bullshit about how I was once an angel and have a bad case of holy envy. Yada yada.” It wasn’t a lie; it was a partial truth. There was a distinct difference.

“Oh, Crowley, you don’t need to be envious of any angel. You’re so much better than the lot of them, myself included.” Aziraphale waved his hand over the demon and miracled away any traces of the drugs left in his system. He smiled when he heard a soft hum of thanks. The relief in the demon's voice was clear as day. He frowned to himself as a thought occurred to him.

“What is it, angel?” Crowley asked as soon as he noticed the contemplative look.

“I was just wondering… had you gotten free of those binds were you going to use that holy water I gave you?” Aziraphale admitted as he watched him carefully.

“Hadn’t really thought that far ahead, to be honest.” Crowley paused and considered it. Had he been that desperate? He’d mainly wanted to break free so he could punch Envy in the face then miracle out of that mess. To his surprise he hadn’t given the vial around his neck any thought. He frowned to himself and said, “I suppose I wouldn’t have, though. As far as Sins go, Envy wasn’t that big of a threat. It was more into mind games than physical stuff.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re thinking wisely about it,” Aziraphale sighed. He smiled and added, “I’m going to have a nice cup of tea. You should get some rest.”

Crowley’s eyes fell shut and he listened to the angel walk away. He found himself left alone to ponder the illusions he’d experienced earlier. They were the kind of thing that stuck with a guy for a long time. Though he couldn’t help but wonder if the illusions could be a good thing. What if, instead of random humans, it was _him_ that Aziraphale made a happy life with? It wasn’t so hard to imagine considering all the things the angel put up with for his sake, and vice versa of course. A life where they were free to cuddle, hold hands, or even kiss whenever they felt like it. His mind could barely comprehend the idea, it was so powerful.

Such a thing might’ve been possible had they both still been angels and the feelings reciprocated, but as things stood, that was not the case. Crowley wasn’t ashamed of what he was, but he didn’t expect Aziraphale to agree with him on that. They had technically been on opposite sides the entire time they’d known each other, after all. Hereditary enemies and all that. It was built into their very DNA to think of each other as the enemy. He was lucky that the angel put up with him at all as he had zero obligation to acknowledge his existence.

He supposed it didn’t really matter in the end. There was no use living in a fantasy world where perfect endings existed. Nothing like that could ever happen. At least not to him. Not with the angel in question. Or any angel, for that matter. It just wasn’t a thing. Their kinds didn’t fraternize. Just being friendly with one another was what got them into this whole mess in the first place. Anything more than that would be ill advised to say the least.

He rolled onto his side so he was facing the couch and shut his eyes. He made the effort to try and sleep. He didn’t care for this line of thought anymore. Or ever again, for that matter. The subject was off limits in his mind. Not that he could actually sleep with bits of those awful illusions flashing in his head. He felt like he was simply doomed to wallow in these terrible feelings. Lingering effects were the absolute worst. He just wanted them to leave him be so things could get back to normal.

Crowley wasn’t sure how long it had been before he heard Aziraphale return. A few minutes, he guessed. Enough to have a little breakdown on his own. He kept his eyes shut when he felt the couch dip just a bit. It took all the willpower he could muster not to jump or yelp in surprise when he felt Aziraphale start to pet his hair gently. He did the only thing he could in that moment and pretended to be asleep.

“I’m rather surprised that Envy went for you,” Aziraphale said softly. He continued to dance his fingers through the red locks as he explained, “There are so many things I find myself envious of. From humans and their delightful quirks, to other angels and their unquestioning loyalty, to you and your… well, your everything really. I’m sure I would’ve been a banquet for the Sin.”

_Maybe, but I’m the one that had history with it. Torturing me gave it more pleasure in the end._ Crowley thought to himself. Not that the blond knew any of that.

Aziraphale began to hum a song to himself. He continued to pet the demon next to him, completely unaware that he’d actually begun to lull him to sleep for real. His voice was a mere whisper when he finally said, “And I also find myself especially envious of affection. It can be displayed in so many incredible ways. I never know what the humans will think of next. It’s amazing. I should think it’d be rather nice to be on the receiving end of it.”

_What are you going on about? Do you even hear yourself?_ Crowley had to bite back a groan. Aziraphale could be so dense sometimes.

“I wonder, dear, what would you do to show me your affection? If such a thing were applicable to the two of us, I mean. Wouldn’t that be something?” Aziraphale asked no one in particular. He didn’t expect an answer and simply resumed humming his song right afterwards.

_Dummy. What the heaven did you think those chocolates were? So clever yet so stupid, you really never change._ In the end, Crowley couldn’t bring himself to say a thing. His eyes were so heavy that he couldn’t even open them if he wanted to. All he could do was fall into the cozy, welcoming arms of sleep.

Aziraphale’s hand stilled but stayed tangled in Crowley’s hair. His voice was like warm honey when he said, “Sweet dreams, you wily old serpent. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

_If that’s true, then maybe things are just fine the way they are…_ It was the last coherent thought Crowley had before he was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I tried to be careful with the words I use_  
>  _I say it 'cause I'm dying to_  
>  _I'm so much more than just a friend to you_  
>  -
> 
> Thanks to those of you that let me know you were looking forward to the next chapter! You kicked my motivation right back into gear X’D
> 
> Aziraphale, while affectionately stroking Crowley's hair: golly I wish my kind could show affection the way humans do
> 
> Why are they both like this… New hc that those Dum Dum lollipops are named for these ineffable idiots
> 
> twO sinS tO gO and they can have the ultimate prize!!! Nothing could possibly derail this when theyre so close to victory… right???


	6. Chapter 6

Aziraphale looked around at all the lively humans that walked past him on the street. He couldn’t help but smile at them all. He was in a pretty good mood since he and Crowley had finally found themselves falling back into the routine of things after the craziness as of late. Their last few trials had taken quite a toll on the both of them. Things had gotten pretty rocky for a while there.

Even so, they’d managed to pass. That much was worth celebrating. What better way to do that than with a day out together? Perhaps the best news was that it hadn’t even taken that much convincing on his end. His housemate seemed willing enough to join him without being dragged for once. That alone was enough to put a smile on his face. He was just so happy.

“Ohh, Crowley, look! While we’re in town let’s stop into the local bookshop!” Aziraphale couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice even if he wanted to. Just being out among the humans like this was always fun in itself, but when he was joined by his favorite demon it was next level. He was practically giddy.

Crowley scrunched his face and tilted his head then glanced at the blond over the rim of his sunglasses and asked, “Do you really think you need any more books right now, angel?”

Aziraphale gasped in mock offense. He held his chin in the air and declared, “Oh, please. That incident was nearly two weeks ago. I’ve since regained my sense of self control _and_ cleaned the clutter.”

“By ‘cleaned the clutter’ do you mean ‘miracled a bigger room’?” Crowley teased with a little half-smile upon his face.

“No. Well, yes, I did do that… but I also cleaned,” Aziraphale insisted.

“You’re hopeless,” Crowley chuckled. Before he could say anything else a human holding a wicker basket darted into their path and stopped them in their tracks. He glared at the woman as if he was trying to melt her with his stare. She didn’t seem to notice.

“Can I interest either of you gentlemen in a special flower for your special someone?” The woman held up her basket and showed them a gorgeous array of different colored flowers within it. She batted her eyes and hummed, “they're freshly picked~”

“He’s not–” Crowley started the usual denial thing that they did when people assumed they were dating, but then he glanced at Aziraphale to see the angel smiling like a complete goofball as he cooed softly at the pretty flowers. He shook his head then snapped his fingers, which made money appear in his hand. Crowley didn’t look at either of them as he offered the woman the crisp bills and sighed, “Fine, whatever, but only _one_ since it’s not attached to a plant and thus already in the process of dying. Pick a color, angel.”

“I rather like that blue one there,” Aziraphale hummed as he motioned towards the flower in question. He heard Crowley mumble something incoherent before he waltzed behind the woman, clearly ready to continue on their way.

“An excellent choice. It’s my most popular one and sells out fast,” The woman replied sweetly. She removed the flower from her basket and handed it to him. Their fingers just barely brushed together as he took it with a soft thanks. A warm breeze blew and tousled their hair playfully.

Aziraphale sniffed the scent that the breeze carried and made an intrigued noise. He held the flower to his chest then tilted his head at the woman and asked, “Excuse me, miss? Would it be rude of me to ask what the base component is in that scent you’re wearing?”

“Huh?” Crowley turned back towards them and shook his head. He motioned with both arms to show how ready to go he was.

The woman chuckled softly to herself. She shook her head as she replied, “Not at all, love. It’s a perfume made from gloxinias. A personal favorite of mine.”

“It’s rather pleasing,” Aziraphale replied with a sweet smile.

“I think so too,” The woman hummed as a smile spread across her face as well. She gave him a quick nod of thanks and then was on her merry way.

Crowley walked up to Aziraphale with a disapproving frown upon his face. He glanced at the back of the woman’s head then back at the angel again and asked, “What was all that about?”

Aziraphale smiled as he twirled his flower between his fingers. It was just the icing on the cake of his already amazing day. He glanced at Crowley to see that he was waiting for an answer. He blinked a few times at the question before he finally replied, “Didn’t you smell it? It was lovely. I wonder if they make a cologne with that as the base ingredient too.”

Crowley huffed and waved his arms at him dismissively. He turned around and declared, “You don’t need it, you smell fine. Now let’s go.”

Aziraphale had an extra hop in his step for the rest of their trip. Crowley called him out on it many times. He didn’t care though. Any time the demon seemed particularly grumpy he would simply turn towards him and offer the blue flower. Nine times out of ten it got Crowley to stop pestering him for a bit. It didn’t work the last time he tried but that was fine. Their little journey had come to its end and it was time to leave, anyway.

Once they got back home, Aziraphale was quick to miracle a small vase for his new flower. It would last a few days in some nice water. Maybe longer if he had his way. They’d just have to wait and see. He brought the flower to his room and set it down on the nightstand by his bed. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was just lovely.

He found himself feeling just a bit peckish. A nice meal was in order. After that perhaps a little tv then he’d go to bed. He didn’t know why that sounded so appealing right now. Sleeping wasn’t even a necessity for him. Ah, well, it didn’t really matter. He meandered to the kitchen then got right to work getting his plan in motion. Aziraphale set two places at the table, just in case he was joined by his housemate. He smiled to himself as he wondered if he should put his flower in the middle of the table just for the duration of their meal as well. It’d certainly add a little charm.

Aziraphale fell asleep easily enough that evening, and quite soundly at that. In fact, he was in such a deep sleep that he didn’t even notice the breeze which carried a wonderful, floral scent that had wafted into his room. His body reacted of its own accord and sat upright. The breeze danced around him in a teasing circle then beckoned him to follow as it made its way out of the bedroom.

His body complied. It stood and followed the breeze, which opened doors and made sure his path was clear of any obstacles as it lead the way. It even went as far as to cradle his every step so that he didn’t hurt his bare feet on the harsh ground once he got outside. Had Aziraphale been awake he would’ve been most grateful for the courtesy.

It was when his body finally sat down that Aziraphale awoke with a start. He looked around his unfamiliar surroundings and made a soft noise. There was a wonderful scent in the air that was familiar but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He looked downwards and frowned to himself while his fingers caressed the blue silk beneath his palms. “Where on earth…”

“You’re in my bed, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Aziraphale turned towards the sound of a woman’s voice. He gasped softly when he immediately recognized her. No wonder there was such a familiar and lovely scent in the air. It was the same perfume that had intrigued him while they were in town that morning. The flower lady. Her blue eyes had an otherworldly glow about them and he had no idea how he’d missed that earlier.

“Well, one of many beds that I call mine,” She continued. Her blue eyes watched the blond with a curious intrigue as she hummed, “They call me many things, but I suppose you should refer to me as Lust. I believe you were expecting me. It’s a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance.”

“I’m not so sure you and I would agree upon the definition of pleasure…” Aziraphale grunted. He rolled his eyes and let out an irritated huff. The fact that this had already lasted so long was a bit ridiculous, really. He had no idea what her game plan was. While he harbored warm feelings for all God’s creatures, this one wasn’t exactly his _type_. Not when it came to, erm, the intimate side of things. He had no idea what she thought she could gain from this. It all felt rather pointless.

“Oh, how wrong you are,” Lust laughed.

Aziraphale pouted to himself. His gaze traveled over her short, skintight dress with the spaghetti straps. It was also blue but that seemed to be her thing, so he wasn’t surprised. The look probably drove some people wild. He personally thought it looked hard to move in. Comfort was so important when choosing outfits. He looked down at his own clothes then grumbled, “Did you have to kidnap me in my pajamas? I feel terribly silly.”

“I didn’t kidnap anyone.” Lust hummed then did a little twirl. When she stopped she pointed right at him and said, “You came to me yourself because there’s something you desire which I can help you obtain.”

“I would _never_.” Aziraphale rebutted, his tone laced with his offense. The audacity of her assuming that he’d ever go to a Sin for anything even remotely resembling help. It was preposterous.

“Sorry to break it to you, but that’s just how my pheromones work.” She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. The angel rolled his eyes with a little snort. The tone of her voice was as flat as the look upon her face as she said, “You certainly think highly of yourself if you assume you’re immune to my charms.”

Aziraphale sat up just a bit taller. He had the utmost confidence in his voice as he replied, “Naturally, I am an angel after all.”

“Yes, a terrible excuse for one,” Lust scoffed.

“I beg your pardon?” Aziraphale asked, his offense palpable. He knew that to be true, as did the other angels, but there was no reason for this fiend to know such a thing. She was obviously bluffing to maintain what she thought was the upper hand. He didn’t know whether to call her out on it or just pout to himself. This whole ridiculous situation had gotten stale and he just wanted to go back home.

Lust tapped a perfectly manicured finger on her temple and said, “I’ve been in your mind. I know it all.”

Aziraphale scrunched his face. He frowned as he asked, “While I slept? What a violation of–”

“No, genius,” Lust sighed. She didn’t look amused as she explained, “Earlier this morning when we met on the street. All it took was the slightest brush of our fingers and I had access to what I wanted.”

“Oh… somehow that still feels like a violation…” Aziraphale muttered mostly to himself. He shifted uncomfortably and looked away from her.

Lust rolled her eyes. She’d clearly had enough of his crap. She didn’t give him the chance to speak again and said, “Throughout the years you and that companion of yours have had quite a few romantic trysts with humans from around the world. Whether it be Michelangelo and Oscar Wilde on your end or Leonardo da Vinci and Madame de Pompadour on Crowley’s, you two sure kept things interesting.”

“Do you always hand out unsolicited opinions on other people’s sex lives?” Aziraphale asked with an annoyed huff. It wasn’t like he wanted a trip down memory lane, or a critique for that matter. She wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. He’d been there. He’d lived it. He’d moved on. He pouted as he watched a smile spread across her face. What was she up to now?

“Only the interesting ones,” Lust snickered. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she circled the bed. Her voice was that of the purest silks when she said, “As entertaining as all your sporadic historical romps have been, never once have you acted upon the one you wanted most. Why is that? It’s not like you’re incapable. You only needed to make a little effort.”

“Sorry, but you’ve lost me.” Aziraphale was done with her nonsense. He pretended to look at a watch that wasn’t on his wrist. He nodded and said, “Would you look at the time? This was lovely, but I really must be going.”

Lust stood before him in the blink of an eye. She put her hand flat against his chest to prevent him from getting up and leaned in close. Her voice had a venomous bite that matched the malicious intent in her eyes as she whispered, “What’s the rush? We’re just getting started, love.”

A chill ran down Aziraphale’s spine. He wasn’t sure there was anything he could say in that moment that wouldn’t result in him getting his head bitten off. Could she do that? Probably. He wouldn’t put it past her with that predatory look in her eyes. He bit back his response and continued to watch her. He just needed to wait for his opportunity and he could flee.

Lust traced a little heart in the middle of Aziraphale’s chest with her finger. She poked the center of it harder than necessary and made him grunt. Her voice had lost the chill and gone back to being as sweet as honey as she said, “An angel lusting after a demon? Tsk tsk, naughty boy.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean,” Aziraphale replied without missing a beat. He lifted his chin and held her gaze defiantly. She couldn’t prove anything of the sort. He would not be fooled into letting her sink her claws into him. His resolve wasn’t so easily crumbled.

Lust sniffed him once then grinned. Her eyes were half-lidded as she hummed, “Oh, I think you do.” She stood up tall and asked, “Would you admit it if my form was more pleasing to you?”

“What’s that supposed to m–” Aziraphale choked on his words as he watched the Sin shapeshift. Of the infinite possible things that could’ve happened next, he certainly hadn’t expected to suddenly be met with the sight of Crowley standing before him in a tight blue dress. His mouth went completely dry and he forgot how to make words. He had no idea how to react. All he could do was stare in disbelief.

Something stirred within him when the Sin pushed him back so he leaned against the headboard then straddled his lap. While a little voice in his head told him that he should put a stop to this immediately, he found himself lacking the willpower to do so. Aziraphale’s gaze traveled greedily over her new form and lingered on how that short skirt rode up teasingly to expose just the slightest bit more thigh. He figured he might as well look since he’d never see anything like it again. It wouldn’t hurt anyone if he were to admire the sight before him for just a second, right?

As soon as Aziraphale had the thought he cursed himself silently. Oh, how terrible. He was better than that. At least he was pretty sure that he was. He knew that he absolutely _should_ be. As such, he wouldn’t stand for any more of this. He shook his head then muttered, “S-stop this at once.”

Lust hummed softly and shook her head then took his hands. She placed them both upon either side of her– that is to say _Crowley’s_ – waist and watched the angel’s eyes widen as he let out a choked sound. She purred in approval. Her lips parted just slightly and then a knowing smile spread across her face. She wore it smugly as she hummed, “Don’t think I don’t know that you haven’t so much as glanced at another since 1941. There’s only one that clouds your mind with naughty little thoughts, and it’s me.”

“It’s not. You’re… not real…” Aziraphale gulped but didn’t remove his hands. He simply stared at them in complete awe. Crowley’s waist was even slimmer than he’d realized. It fit so perfectly in his grip. After spending countless nights wondering about this exact thing, he couldn’t help but be a little dumbstruck. It was even more incredible than he’d imagined.

“I assure you I’m _very_ real,” Lust purred. She cleared her throat and changed her voice to match her new shape then slid her arms around Aziraphale’s neck and added, “Isn’t this what you want? It’s what we both want. Touch me, angel…”

Aziraphale stiffened at the sound of that nickname. Hearing Crowley’s voice egg him on like that was the final nail in the coffin. He blinked and found himself completely lost in the demon’s illusion. How could he not be? The way those familiar, yellow eyes looked at him so hungrily was enchanting. He couldn’t have asked for a bigger blessing than to see Crowley look at him like _that_.

He inhaled the lovely scent in the air deeply and lifted his chin then surged forward to meet the demon for a kiss. It was deep, needy, and met with the utmost enthusiasm. It was exactly what he’d wanted for so long. Far too long. It was the very definition of amazing. It also wasn’t enough. He needed more. He couldn’t help but lean in to deepen it. He wrapped his arms around Crowley and held tight, unwilling to let go as they continued to kiss.

When they finally parted for a moment Aziraphale let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t believe. After so long this could only be described as a dream come true. He looked into the yellow eyes of his companion and didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. It seemed that Crowley had a different idea. Aziraphale hummed in approval when he was kissed fiercely once again.

Crowley pulled away from the kiss just enough to look him in the eyes and purr, “This feels good, doesn’t it? You want more, don’t you?”

Aziraphale’s hands slid up his companions back and he sighed, “Yes… please…”

Crowley bent down and whispered into his ear, “I can make your wildest fantasies come true. You’ll never be able to forget me.”

Aziraphale squeaked softly. He knew that. God, did he _know_ that. The thought of how Crowley was once worshiped as a sex deity haunted him to this day. That was quite a few thousand years ago, when the demon happened to be extra fond of drinking way too much and hosting orgies, but it had been something that had stuck with Aziraphale. He’d been halfway around the world at the time but the stories, oh god, he’d never forget the vivid tales he’d been told. Evidently, Crowley had gotten a kick out of the new title the humans had bestowed upon him and made sure it was well earned. What a time that had been.

The crazy part about it was that Aziraphale didn’t even need all that. As nice as it would be to experience something so wild, he’d be perfectly satisfied with more kissing. A thousand years’ worth of making out sounded lovely to him. Though considering his companion had started to unbutton his pajama top for him, Aziraphale had a sneaking suspicion that something a little more than kissing was on his mind. That was perfectly fine as well. He didn’t want to have to hold back anymore. They’d behaved themselves for far too long.

Aziraphale’s breath hitched in his throat as Crowley dipped his fingers into the waistband of his pants. Oh. That made everything seem so much more real somehow. He put his hands on either side of his companion’s face and pulled him back into a kiss. This one was languid and sweet, as if to say that there was no rush. They had all the time in the world.

“Just a little longer, and you’ll be mine~” Crowley purred contently. His eyes flashed blue for a second before they returned to their normal yellow color. He had a victorious smile upon his face and looked like he was about to laugh as he leaned in for another kiss.

“What the _fuck_ is this! Get your ugly face off of him!”

Crowley bolted upright and turned towards the sound of the intruder. His voice cracked as he shrieked, “Ugly? How dare you! I am the most beautiful creature there ever was!”

“Not from where I’m standing, Sin!”

There was a heated exchange as the pair continued to yell insults at one another. Aziraphale didn’t know why it sounded like he was listening to all that nonsense from underwater. He frowned to himself. Something wasn’t right here. Crowley hissed at the intruder, who hissed right back.

The sound confused Aziraphale. It wasn’t that it scared him. It just… felt familiar. He couldn’t see past Crowley, but he did whine softly when the demon pulled away from him. He couldn’t help but reach for him as he whimpered, “Don’t go, dear…”

There was a loud growl followed by even more shouting. “Release him from your spell now, Sin. If you don’t do as I demand you will _not_ like the consequences!”

Aziraphale _knew_ that voice. But that was impossible. Crowley couldn’t be in two places at once and he was… he was… Aziraphale squinted at the figure closest to him. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. All he could seem to focus on was the strange clothing on the demon. Blue. He knew that color from somewhere. But… where…

A vision of a single blue flower in a vase flashed in his mind. That was right. The flower that Crowley bought him. The one they’d gotten from a woman that turned out to be… Aziraphale gasped then blinked a few times as the illusion shattered. Oh no.

He looked around himself in disbelief. No, no, no. He put his hands on either side of his head and shook it as he yelped, “Oh, lord, what was I just –!”

“Broke free of my hold already? Pity. I was going to have some fun with you before I had to kill you.” Lust sucked her teeth and glanced at him over her shoulder. She shifted back to her preferred form. She had a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she added, “Never ridden an angel before. Wondered if you could really take me to Heaven and back.”

Aziraphale gasped and then grabbed the sides of his shirt to pull them closed so he was covered up. Blush darkened his cheeks as embarrassment flooded him. He couldn’t think of anything he could possibly say in that moment. He was mortified by the entire situation. Of all the possible illusions… he’d gotten sucked into something like _that_? For shame.

“You stay the heaven away from him, bitch.” Crowley demanded the Sin’s attention. He snarled as he growled through gritted teeth, “Don’t even _look_ at him. Your opponent is me.”

Lust had an amused smirk upon her face. She batted her eyes and hummed, “Aren’t you all noble rushing in to save your sweetheart from peril? Too bad it was pointless and will end in both of your deaths.”

Crowley beckoned for her to come closer. His voice was positively venomous as he spat, “Try me.”

Aziraphale fumbled with the buttons on his shirt while the two of them clashed. He heard all sorts of awful screeching and swears. He looked up just in time to see Crowley land a particularly good punch on Lust. Ouch. That looked like it hurt. He assumed he was right when she cradled her jaw and hissed loudly.

“My beautiful face! How _dare_ you!” Lust exclaimed.

“You mean your ugly mug,” Crowley snorted. There was a mix of amusement and pride in his eyes as he glared at her. As well as something as fierce as it was unreadable. Aziraphale didn’t know what to make of it.

“You’ll pay for that with your life!” Lust charged him before she even finished the thought. Her fingernails elongated into daggers and she swiped at him with incredible speed.

Crowley had a wild look in his eyes as he dodged her attacks. Some of them were a little too close for comfort but that was invigorating. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d had to fight for his life like this. While he’d rather not make a habit of it, nothing else quite got his blood pumping in the same way. He glanced over at Aziraphale for a moment, and that was a mistake.

Lust used that split second to her advantage. Her lightning fast reflexes allowed her to charge him before he could get on the defensive again. She wrapped her fingers around his throat and squeezed. She leaned in so they were nose to nose and growled, “Do you have any idea just how satisfying it’ll be for me to snuff out your pathetic life with my own two hands?”

“Crowley!” Aziraphale cried.

Lust turned towards the angel and hissed. Suddenly the silk sheets he sat upon came to life. They wormed their way around him and constricted. The end of the sheets twisted up and gagged him so he couldn’t interrupt again. It was all he could do to squirm and let out offended grunts. This was undignified to say the least.

Crowley let out a soft growl of his own then headbutted the Sin so she released him and stumbled back a step. He rubbed his own forehead and grumbled, “Ow. Man, I _hate_ doing that.”

“Bastard! I’ll kill you!” Lust shrieked.

“I’m surprised Hell didn’t warn you about me when they assigned you to this task. The one thing they probably should’ve explained is… I’m incredibly wily!” Crowley said loudly right before the Sin charged him yet again. She paused just a moment to scrunch her face at him and that was all he needed. A scaly black tail wrapped around her throat from behind and yanked her to the ground.

There was a soft thud followed by furious growls as she struggled to free herself. The sounds lessened when the tail constricted. Crowley knelt by the Sin and watched her claw desperately at his tail while she gasped for air. Too bad for her those were some thick scales and he didn’t feel a thing.

He ignored all her hissing and attempts at cursing him while she struggled against the tightening tail. They were pointless in her current position, anyway. Crowley frowned and reached for the collar of his shirt. He grabbed the thin chain that was hidden beneath it and yanked it free of his neck. He heard Aziraphale’s muffled protests but didn’t pay him any mind. He was too focused on the Sin that eyed the glass vial suspiciously.

“It was pretty stupid of you to silence the one person that had a chance of talking me out of this. I guess that means you know your crime was unforgivable,” Crowley said so softly that they were the only ones who could hear it. His tail tightened around the Sin’s neck so suddenly that it made her gasp in surprise. He dropped the vile into her open mouth then immediately covered it with his hand. His tail loosened just a bit and he maintained her gaze.

Crowley stood up tall once more, with the tip of his tail applying pressure in place of his hand to keep her mouth shut. He unwound the rest of his tail from her neck but made sure to keep that one part on her mouth. He cracked his neck side to side then let out a soft sigh. His eyes were cold, void of anything that even resembled mercy, as he looked down at Lust and said flatly, “Shatter.”

Aziraphale jumped and turned his head away. He couldn’t watch the terrible sight. It was enough to know that Crowley had yanked his tail away from her as he spoke so he wouldn’t be splashed. The gurgling sound mixed with horrible screeching was somehow worse than the other Sins they’d gotten rid of in a similar fashion.

It was when the sheets that bound him finally fell away that he knew it was over. Only after that did he turn back to look at the scene. Crowley stood unmoving, glaring at the goo that had just been a Sin. Aziraphale hurried over to the demon and immediately began to mutter a bunch of nonsense. Eventually he managed to calm himself enough to start making sense again.

“Crowley! You’re all right!” Aziraphale moved to hug his companion but stopped when Crowley cringed. He supposed that was understandable. The guy had just been through a lot for his sake. He probably still had all that adrenaline pumping through him from the fight. When the demon finally turned his way there was an unreadable look in his yellow eyes and Aziraphale wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Crowley turned his head back towards the goo. His brow knitted together and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was silent for another few moments then he turned and started to walk away as he muttered, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yes. Right. Good idea.” Aziraphale nodded and hurried after him.

Besides the expected ‘thank you’ on his end, Aziraphale noticed that it was rather quiet after they got back home. He tried to start a conversation with Crowley but the demon simply wasn’t having it. He’d gone to his room and closed the door behind himself almost immediately. Aziraphale couldn’t blame him for being exhausted after all that. He didn’t seem to have been too badly injured so there was a little good news. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong. He didn’t even try to go back to sleep himself. He stayed in the library until morning.

After he had himself a little breakfast, during which he’d set out an extra plate just in case, he cleaned up the dishes. He’d eaten alone but that wasn’t too surprising. It was shortly after that when he heard the TV turn on. He gasped then hurried into the living room. It was a relief to see Crowley sitting on the couch like normal. Perhaps nothing was amiss and he’d just been overthinking things. He took a seat on the other end of the couch and smiled. They watched about half of an episode of whatever was on before he found himself attempting to start a conversation again.

“Seems odd that Lust came after me considering you’re the one much more likely to give into carnal desires.” Aziraphale couldn’t exactly say what it was that caused him to blurt that out in the middle of the show they were supposed to be watching. He held his breath and wondered if he’d even get a reply.

“Probably because I’m not ashamed of said desires,” Crowley said mostly to himself. Shame was like an extra bit of spice on a meal when it came to demons like the Sins. It could make the difference between something being bland or delicious.

Aziraphale blinked then turned towards him and asked, “Whatever do you mean?”

Crowley kept his gaze fixed upon the screen as he replied, “It’s not important. Just promise me you won’t go around kissing demons anymore. I didn’t… like seeing that.”

“Oh! Sorry about that! If it makes you feel better, I don’t plan to kiss anyone ever again!” Aziraphale exclaimed before he even had a chance to think about it. Then he chuckled nervously. That wasn’t exactly what he would’ve said had he thought it through. It was too late now.

“You’re so stupid sometimes…” Crowley muttered as he stood up. With nothing more to say on the subject, he shook his head and started to walk away.

“I’m what? Hey, wait! Won’t you stay for a bit?” Aziraphale tried but the demon didn’t even falter. If he’d heard him he’d chosen not to respond. Aziraphale pouted to himself. He didn’t know what all that that was about, but it gave him an awful feeling in his gut.

The next few days didn’t fare any better regarding his interactions with Crowley. In fact, Aziraphale had to wonder if things had gotten worse. It was like the demon didn’t even want to be in the same room as him with how quick he was to leave. He barely looked in his direction, never mind actually spoke. Even then, that was usually when he was spoken to, and it was almost always to say that he didn’t want to have a meal together. Aziraphale could only take so much of this kind of treatment. It wasn’t right at all. He had to find out what was broken so they could fix it. Things needed to go back to the way they were.

A wave of determination washed over him and he nodded. Yeah, he could do this. He just had to put his foot down and demand the answers he sought. With a smile. And a kind gesture perhaps…. No! He wouldn’t do that. He would simply find his housemate and ask what he wanted to know. He practically stomped through the cottage until he came upon Crowley in the foyer near the front door. It was now or never. No time to overthink things.

Aziraphale stood up as straight as possible and declared, “I know something’s wrong. So I demand you talk to me about it.”

Crowley simply blinked at him. His expression said that he was obviously not swayed by this show the angel had put on. He shook his head and then turned to walk away. That was a better option right now.

Aziraphale deflated just a bit. He reached out and caught the demon by the wrist, which halted his exit. He tried not to sound too desperate as he said, “Wait! Crowley, please. Would you just talk to me? We’re best friends for goodness sake. We’re better as a team. I can help with whatever’s going on.”

There was silence between them as Crowley mulled that over. He pulled his arm from the angel and sighed to himself then turned to face him. There was something somber in his voice when he finally asked, “It doesn’t matter how many centuries go by… you’ll never look at me, will you?”

“What a silly thing to say. I’m looking right at you.” Aziraphale hummed with a little smile.

Except he wasn’t. Crowley’s gaze fell to the ground. He shook his head and mumbled, “It took me thousands of years, but I finally understand things for what they are.”

“I’m not so sure I do,” Aziraphale replied. He was a bit concerned by the serious look upon the demon’s face. Should he pry further or wait and see if he’d share? He still hadn’t decided before his housemate spoke again.

“Seeing you in the arms of various humans in the past was one thing, but a full-on demon? It gave me clarity I wish I didn’t have. The truth of the matter is simple. I’ll never be good enough.” Crowley didn’t look at him as he spoke. He was really just thinking out loud at this point.

“What are you saying?” Aziraphale huffed. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or not so he just kind of wore a crooked, yet cautious, smile instead.

“I suppose in human terms I’m saying that we need some space,” Crowley replied.

Aziraphale stiffened. He chuckled nervously then quickly asked, “What kind of space? How much would you like? I can miracle up a new wing on the cottage if you’d like. That’ll be no problem. Maybe even a pool. That could be fun, don’t you agree?”

“That’s not going to work this time, Aziraphale. I’m leaving.” Crowley quickly put an end to that line of thought. He snapped the fingers on his right hand and the front door swung open. He turned and stared out it as he sighed, “Heading back to my old flat. Don’t come calling on me and I won’t be coming around here anymore.”

“Oh, you.” Aziraphale shook his head. “There’s no way you mean that. You’ll be bored to tears if you’re on your own again. Not to mention there’s still a Sin left, and our trial isn’t technically over so…”

“I’ll… _we’ll_ manage on our own. It’s what we were meant to do, anyway.” Crowley shrugged. Whether that was meant to assure himself or Aziraphale was unclear.

It hit him rather suddenly that this was no joke at all. Aziraphale felt his heart sink. He struggled to find the words to say next. There must’ve been something he could say to change the demon’s mind. His brow knitted together with worry as he mumbled, “But… we’re stronger as a pair.”

Crowley didn’t reply. He simply walked until he was in the doorway and then paused. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, “Tell me one last thing. Was it good? That kiss, I mean.”

“I don’t… I don’t know how I’m supposed to answer that.” It was the truth. He had no idea how the heck he would explain that the Sin had looked exactly like the object of his desire– _him_ – at the time. That his desire to be with _him_ was what caused this whole mess. He couldn’t just up and say something like that. Was the kiss good? It was amazing. It was everything Aziraphale could’ve possibly wanted because at the time it had felt so real. Every time he closed his eyes since then that moment was all he could think about. He was devastated to know that it hadn’t actually happened between them. There was no way he could figure out how to put all of that plus the feeling in his gut into words. So he stood there in silence.

Crowley continued out the door without another word and then snapped so it shut itself behind him. Aziraphale frowned and tried his darndest to understand what he’d just felt in the air. As a being of love he was well versed in what that and the corresponding emotions felt like. If he didn’t know any better he’d swear that the feeling he’d just felt emanating so strongly from the demon had been heartbreak. But that simply didn’t make any sense no matter how he tried to rationalize it. His chest ached at the thought and he put his hands over his heart.

A sharp pain in his left wrist made him hiss softly. He lifted it and watched the tattoo that was once hidden reappear. Then it slowly deteriorated until it was completely gone. Their connection couldn’t hold if both parties didn’t want it to. Crowley obviously hadn’t been joking. He wanted nothing more to do with him. The very idea made tears pool in his eyes as his entire being ached with longing.

_They’ll break you two in the end._ Sloth’s final words to them seemed to dance in the air and openly mock him _. Say goodbye to any hopes you had for a fairy tale happy ending._

“Oh, no.” The Sin had been right all along. Aziraphale’s bottom lip trembled and he blinked back tears. He put his hands over his aching heart and bowed his head. The pain in his chest only seemed to worsen. His voice was a shaky whisper as he said, “My dear Crowley…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _We could have been so good together_  
>  _We could have lived this dance forever_  
>  _But now who's gonna dance with me?_  
>  _Please stay_  
>  -
> 
> Az was the one that was affected by her pheromones so he was the only one that could see the illusion of crowley in the dress :'3  
> lust was putting all her energy into keeping that as strong as possible so crowley got to see her monstrous form for what it was when he arrived. but he did get to see her in that dress when she went back to her preferred form. never himself though sdffds
> 
> ngl the part where snekyboy buys the flower is one of my favorite moments in this whole fic. Its just too pure that Crowley sees Aziraphale being all cute and completely forgets about denying their relationship in favor of buying him the thing that made him smile X3
> 
> Gloxinia flower meaning love at first sight… I see what I did there… now you do too pfft  
> Yep little doctor who ref because The Girl in the Fireplace is a badass ep ok
> 
> Poor heartbroken snek :c being punched in the face by reality is never fun :c :c :c
> 
> There was a bit of speculation in the comments about who Lust would target and frankly either way would’ve worked just fine! We all know they both drown in Feelings for one another. Crowley ended up coming to terms with his in a way that Aziraphale hasn’t yet so that little extra spice of shame on Aziraphale’s end made him the potentially tastier snack


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Without you, everything falls apart_   
>  _Without you, it's not as much fun to pick up the pieces_

Alcohol. Good ol’ alcohol. It was always there when he needed it. Never betrayed him. A good friend. A best friend. His only real friend. Crowley took another swig of the wine in his hand. He turned the bottle upside down then frowned when he found it empty. Ok, minor betrayal when it was all gone. That could be forgiven, though! He tossed the bottle aside and grabbed another then miracled the cork away. He meandered out of the kitchen with his free hand on the wall for support.

He wandered his flat until he stood in front of a familiar statue. The one he’d stolen from that church in 1941. Well, the remains of said church. He stared at it as he took another swig of his drink. His mind wandered to Aziraphale, as it so often did. How many days had it been since he’d seen the angel? Five? Six? He had no idea. They all kind of blended together since he’d been drinking heavily the entire time. And why shouldn’t he? Certain epiphanies were as life changing as they were unwanted.

The blond had respected his wishes and hadn’t bothered to try and contact him. Crowley figured that was a good thing. It was noble or righteous or something like that. He didn’t know, he was drunk. He brought the wine bottle to his lips once more then paused. Maybe the angel’s silence meant that he was murdered by the final Sin and was doomed to spend an eternity in Heaven. Nah, there would be no way that asshat Beelzebub would be able to keep from showing up to gloat with news like that. So that meant everything was fine and dandy. Hoo-fucking-ray. He finally took that sip as he thought back to the last conversation they’d had.

_“That’s not going to work this time, Aziraphale. I’m leaving_ (unless you give me a reason to stay) _… Heading back to my old flat. Don’t come calling on me and I won’t be coming around here anymore_ (please give me a reason to stay) _.”_

While he personally thought the message was loud and clear, the ridiculous blond was never any good at reading between the lines. Either he was incredibly dense, or he chose not to notice the obvious. It was unclear which was worse. All Crowley knew was that when he’d popped in on Aziraphale and Lust in the middle of _that_ … well, he’d never felt any emotion like the one that surged through him. Some odd mix of disbelief, horror, and disgust all neatly wrapped in a bow made of realization.

All these years– _thousands_ of them– Crowley had been a hundred percent certain that the reason he and Aziraphale could never be together was set in stone. Angels and demons didn’t do that sort of thing. They never would. It was just the way things were. And you know what? That was fine. Whenever either of them were in the mood for a little intimacy in their lives they courted a human for a while. Nothing wrong with that. The fact that the two of them were friends at all was, well, a miracle in itself.

And yet… for so incredibly long he carried a stupid torch for that stupid angel. All right, that wasn’t fair, Aziraphale was quite clever. It was part of the reason he’d been drawn to him at first. Crowley had always assumed that the feelings he’d caught would fizzle out eventually. Immortality was the definition of a really long time, after all. What a cruel fate it was to have to sit there and take it as the feelings just burned brighter and eventually became scorching over the years.

He couldn’t even talk to anyone about it. No other demons would understand because they didn’t feel the things he did. They didn’t know what it was like to bask in the radiance of an angel’s sweet smile. They didn’t know how an angel’s soft laugh could warm them from head to toe, starting in the middle of their chest. They had absolutely no idea how lost they could get in an angel’s eyes. Crowley shouldn’t have known any of those things either, but apparently it was his curse to suffer them.

So many years of awful pining had been made bearable by the fact that he _knew_ there wasn’t even a sliver of hope that it could ever be more than that. As long as they were an angel and a demon that was the line that neither would cross. He understood it. He respected it. He also hated it. Why then did he subject himself to such torture and befriend the angel? If he knew the answer to that he’d be as all-knowing as God herself.

The thing about Aziraphale was that he was a delight to be around. Whether it was him whining about humans changing up fashion too frequently or raving about this new type of food he’d discovered, Crowley could listen to him all day. There was something about the blond that made him want to listen, even if he didn’t actually care. He was also pretty fun to tease, and Crowley was a big fan of doing little things just to see him pout. Always harmless and in good fun. Very unlike his fellow demons.

He didn’t know when exactly the shift happened but one day he realized that he had more in common with this angel than he did with any of his kind. That was certainly an odd turn of events. Though they had both spent the same amount of time among the humans. That was probably what had changed them both so drastically. None of the other angels or demons could even fathom the things they’d witnessed firsthand.

They’d fallen into their friendship quite by accident but had both decided they wanted to embrace it. While that had started out as cautiously as possible, with secret meetings and all that, the longer it went on the less they tried to hide. Honestly, if no one from either of their head offices had caught on in the last six thousand years they probably weren’t watching. So their friendship grew. It deepened. They became irreplaceable in each other’s lives. All the while that same knowledge of ‘this is all we can ever be to one another’ hung over his head. Again, he was fine with it. Accepted it millennia ago. They were happy with their unconventional friendship and that was more than enough for him.

So that whirlwind of emotions he felt when he found Aziraphale kissing _a demon_ was… intense. He was forced to face a shocking epiphany. The thing keeping them apart hadn’t been that he was a demon, after all. It was just that he was an idiot who caught feelings for someone who’d never see him in the same way. Millennia of telling himself that he didn’t care were suddenly seen in a different light. He cared. He’d always cared. It was Aziraphale that didn’t. Wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

Just like that it was so painful to be around the angel that he could hardly stand it. It was worse than anything he’d ever experienced in Hell. He did his best to avoid the blond but that was ridiculous when they lived in the same cottage. Seeing that carefree smile and concerned look upon the angel’s face was a whole new form of torture. In the end, there was nothing left for him to do but leave. Maybe their paths would cross again one day. He didn’t know. He wasn’t a prophet.

Crowley tossed his head back and chugged the rest of the wine in the bottle. He smashed it at his feet and miracled a brand new one. He grunted at the statue and finally wobbled away from it. He knew that he should probably get the alcohol out of his system for a bit but, wow, he really didn’t give a shit. What was the goddamn point?

Once he got to the living room he practically fell onto the couch. He landed on his face with a soft grunt. He managed to push himself upright again. Crowley swirled the wine bottle he held and watched the liquid dance. He really hated that he couldn’t numb just how lonely he felt. This was the longest he’d gone without seeing Aziraphale since they’d averted the apocalypse together. What he wouldn’t give to hear that idiot ask him if he’d like a spot of lunch so he could tell him some ridiculous tale he heard from his barber.

Those days were over. Crowley knew that. His future would consist of him looking out for himself. He didn’t need anyone else and would eventually come to terms with that. No more dinners, or outings, or stupid events he had no interest in. No more falling asleep against one another because they got too cozy on the couch. No more laughing about… well, anything, he supposed. It didn’t feel like he had much room for laughter in the new life he planned on building himself.

The only question left was where to go. He supposed it didn’t really matter as long as he laid low. He snapped his fingers and the atlas on the coffee table next to him sprang open. The pages from within all began to float around him and he squinted at them. Nothing in particular stood out. It’d have to be someplace that no one would look for him.

Oh, who was he kidding? It had to be someplace that _Aziraphale_ wouldn’t look for him. No one else would care if he up and left. He frowned between sips of his wine as he continued to look for inspiration in all the pages that floated around him. Nothing. What a waste. He snapped his fingers and the book reassembled itself.

“So this is how you react to finding out that it never was the demon thing that held him back. It was the fact that you weren’t good enough for the likes of him and never would be. He strung you along like the fool you are.”

Crowley turned then squinted at the hooded figure with the glowing red eyes that he definitely hadn’t invited into his flat. He frowned and waved his wine bottle at it as he asked, “Wrath, I presume? How’d you get in here?”

“If it were me, I’d rip his heart out of his chest and show it to him as it beat its final beats,” Wrath practically purred in delight.

Crowley shook his head. He blinked slowly and replied, “Don’t bother tryin’ to get in ma head. There no room for you with all the uhh… the drunky thoughts.”

“I’m just here to chat.” Wrath replied casually. It walked behind him until it stood on his other side.

“Yeah, right.” Crowley concentrated on getting some of the alcohol out of his system. He ridded himself of enough to sound coherent then finally said, “I don’t know what you expect to happen, but there’s no point. I won’t give in to you.”

“Is that so?” Wrath sounded more amused than anything else.

“I know exactly who you are and why you’re here. Tricks won’t work.” Crowley declared. He narrowed his eyes at the Sin and added, “Furthermore, I’m completely aware of the situation for what it is. I’ve never once believed that he could think of me as anything more than the serpent from the garden that turned out to be friendly. I harbor no ill will or resentment about it, so you have no power over me.”

“Let’s just see about that, shall we?” A dark red tentacle wriggled out from under Wrath’s cloak. It wormed its way up Crowley’s body until it reached his head. Before the demon could protest it jutted into his ear.

Crowley made a surprised noise then his body went limp. He sat there and watched the million and one things Wrath showed him flash before his eyes. Nearly six thousand years’ worth of unrequited feelings was a whole lot to have to witness in the blink of an eye. He hadn’t realized just how pathetic he’d been. His blood began to boil in his veins.

All the chances that stupid angel had to set the record straight, yet nothing. He turned a blind eye to the obvious signs. Here Crowley had thought he was the one in control of the situation but taking a second look at it changed things. Aziraphale had clearly enjoyed stringing him along like he was a mere plaything. His feelings hadn’t ever mattered to the guy. He’d been right earlier. He wasn’t mad about the situation at all. He was absolutely furious. He wanted to… to… tear flesh from bones just to hear the sound it made.

Oh, fuck.

Wrath removed the tentacle from his mind and tsked. He wagged a finger at Crowley and muttered, “See? He never really cared about you. You were too blinded by your own feelings to see it.”

Crowley let out a demonic screech and held either side of his head. His eyes began to glow fiercely and he opened his mouth wide as his fangs elongated and his tongue forked. His skin prickled with the sensation of scales appearing in various places. His hands gripped his hair so hard it was painful but he couldn’t let go. His breath came in labored pants and all he could think about was one thing. How much he wanted to kill. He didn’t even have an intended target. Anyone would do to get these feelings out of himself. They were disgusting and without them he could rule the world. It was time he finally rid himself of them once and for all.

He slapped his hands over his eyes and mouth then let out a pained grunt. “N…no… I won’t… let you have your way! _Bastard_!”

“Oh, I think you will,” Wrath purred. His acrimonious cackle echoed through the room as Crowley let out yet another inhuman scream and clawed at his own hair.

*

Aziraphale hadn’t done much of anything over the past week. He couldn’t really bring himself to. Even the little things that had once brought him joy couldn’t quite cheer him up. Dining wasn’t the same. Reading wasn’t the same. Just being home wasn’t the same. The cottage was so… quiet. But not the kind of quiet he was used to. It felt completely off. He’d never had the whole place to himself for so long since the day they’d moved in together. There was always a sense of another’s presence. He had no idea just how much he’d miss that until it was gone.

He really missed his former housemate. A heck of a lot more than he thought possible. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so incomplete before. What he wouldn’t give just to hear his voice again. Though Aziraphale couldn’t bring himself to call. Not after the way they’d left things. They’d fought quite a few times in the millennia they’d known one another, but never like this. All of those had been petty or stupid things that were easily forgotten. This felt… serious. He feared that it might not be mendable.

A braver man than he would’ve probably owned up to their mistake the moment they realized what it was. Demon’s thrall or not, that was no excuse not to apologize if he knew he’d hurt a friend. It was a mistake in a moment of weakness. He got that. He’d take it all back and kill that Sin himself if he could. He didn’t understand why it was so difficult for him to say it out loud. The truth of the matter was that he didn’t fancy demons. They simply weren’t his type. Well, except for one. That hadn’t turned out so well considering the guy wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Aziraphale couldn’t really blame him. His brow knitted together and he frowned to himself.

He looked up from the ground and blinked. He hadn’t even realized he’d been walking around as he was lost in his own thoughts. He found himself doing that a lot in the past week. It was almost as if his body wanted to go somewhere. Not that he had any clue where that’d be. Aziraphale looked at the door he’d stopped in front of. Crowley’s room, er, his former room. He didn’t even think about it as he put his palm flat against the door and pushed it open. Aziraphale stepped into the room and was immediately flooded with a sense of warmth that embraced him like a familiar hug.

They’d both agreed to respect each other’s personal space before they even moved in together. As such, he couldn’t recall if he’d ever actually been in here before aside from that run in with Sloth. He certainly hadn’t taken the time to look around then. It was amazing. Everywhere he looked he saw mementos of the times he and Crowley had spent together over the past six thousand years. He walked over to the bookcase that didn’t have a single book upon it but was rather stuffed with knickknacks and studied it in awe.

Aziraphale gently ran his fingers along the items he saw, just to make sure they were actually there. Part of him thought he must’ve been hallucinating. The things he saw were incredible. An original pamphlet from the Globe Theatre, mini marble busts of the two of them from ancient Rome, a flyer from when he’d opened his bookshop, and even that silly little aardvark plushie that he’d given the demon in jest. Crowley had kept all of those things plus so much more. It was like looking at a museum of their past. Aziraphale was absolutely speechless.

He recalled wondering what exactly counted as affection. The term seemed so broad and nearly impossible to narrow down. He picked up an extremely old photograph of the two of them. It was from back when cameras had just been invented. Aziraphale remembered being overly excited to try it out and he’d talked Crowley into joining him. He had to hold back a chuckle at their very different expressions. They really were opposites in every possible way.

He put the photo back where it had been and wondered if all those silly times had been so meaningful to Crowley that he felt the need to keep reminders of them. He was left to wonder why he hadn’t thought of such a thing. Oh, right, he didn’t want there to be any evidence of their fraternizing if Heaven ever came calling. It seemed like such a shame now that he saw how these baubles brought up fond memories that made him smile.

He meandered over to the bed and sat on the edge. Was having keepsakes of the times they shared a form of affection? If so, had Crowley been feeling it for him all this time? Were demons even capable of feeling such a thing? Not that Crowley was a typical demon. He’d proven that on countless occasions. Did that mean he _was_ capable of feeling such an emotion? Aziraphale was so confused. He didn’t know what to think.

Aziraphale let out an annoyed huff. How the heck was he supposed to know something like that? Besides all the obvious signs, he supposed. He flopped over onto the bed and immediately realized that had been a mistake. The pillow smelled like _him_. Aziraphale’s chest tightened and he buried his face in it. He wanted to scream. All of this was too much. They’d had a good life together. Why did any of this have to happen and ruin that? Was a little slice of happiness really too much to ask for in the grand scheme of things? After all they’d done for the world?

He turned his head so that he could see that bookcase again. Maybe they hadn’t. Maybe he’d been under the impression that what their relationship used to be had been enough for both of them. Maybe he was the last one to realize the obvious. It wouldn’t be the first time. Then all that happened recently just added up to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, as it were. He really wished he could talk to Crowley right about now. He shut his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He hadn’t bothered to sleep for nearly a week so he might as well rest while he was here.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale awoke with a start. He bolted upright and looked all around his unfamiliar surroundings in a slight panic. His eyes landed upon the bookcase full of mementos and he sighed. Right. OK. He knew where he was. That didn’t seem to quell the horrible feeling he had.

He put his hand over his heart and willed it to stop racing. When even a calm pulse didn’t make him feel any better, he knew something was wrong. There was no denying what he felt in his gut. He’d learned to trust that above all else. It didn’t matter if Crowley would prefer he stayed away, he absolutely had to see him right now. Seeing that he was OK was the only way he’d be able to calm the awful feeling he had. He stood abruptly, waved his hands to change his outfit to something more presentable, then nodded and popped over to Crowley’s flat.

Aziraphale looked around for a moment to try and get his bearings. He’d only been there a handful of times so he needed a second. He heard a soft laugh that seemed to be dripping with spite. That didn’t sound like his best friend at all. He turned towards the sound to find himself face to face with a hooded figure with glowing red eyes. He gasped and took a single step back.

“W-who are you? Where’s Crowley!” Aziraphale demanded.

The figure motioned to his left. Aziraphale’s eyes lingered upon it for an extra moment before he finally turned to see. His heart nearly shattered when his gaze landed upon Crowley in the corner of the room. He was curled into a ball with his face hidden in his arms. Aziraphale paid no mind to the mysterious guest. He immediately went over to his friend and said softly, “Crowley? What is it? What’s wrong?”

A low growl emanated from the demon. There seemed to be strain in his voice as if it was painful for him to speak when he said, “What are you doing here… I broke our connection…”

Aziraphale stiffened. He cleared his throat then replied, “Yes, well, you broke the one created by the tattoos. However, you can’t do anything about the other one we share which is much stronger than that. It’s six thousand years in the making and never once lead either of us astray.”

“Go away…” Crowley grunted.

Aziraphale shook his head and stood his ground. He couldn’t do that yet. Not until he had the answers he needed. “Sorry, but I refuse to do that until I know you’re all right.”

“I don’t want…” Crowley’s voice trailed off and he made a pained noise.

“Crowley?”

“I don’t want to…” Crowley tried again.

Aziraphale kept his voice as sweet as honey as he assured him, “Hey, it’s ok, you can tell me.”

“I don’t want to have to kill you… so leave…” Crowley grunted in pain then curled himself into a tighter ball.

The hooded figure walked up to the two of them and chimed in, “Wouldn’t you, though? Oh how _satisfying_ it’d be to finally put an end to the one who tormented you for millennia.”

“I beg your pardon? I’d never–!” Aziraphale stopped abruptly when flashes of their shared past started to swirl around them. These images, the memories, didn’t paint him in a very good light. There were so many that played so quickly then fizzled out in an instant that he couldn’t keep track. Their message was clear, though. He may not have meant to, but he’d been a direct source of his best friend’s suffering for a very long time. He heard Crowley let out a soft whimper which turned into a growl and knew exactly what they were dealing with. The final Sin.

Wrath pet Crowley’s hair with a red tentacle and purred, “You’ve killed for him. You were willing to die for him. And _still_ he couldn’t even be bothered to care for a loathsome creature such as yourself. It goes to show you just how pathetic you really are.”

“Stop it. You don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about, Sin.” Aziraphale spat. He moved to shove Wrath but it dissipated then reappeared elsewhere before he could. Whatever. At least it wasn’t near Crowley anymore.

“You may be right,” Wrath said from behind him. The grin could be heard in its voice as it added, “I only got what information I have right from Crowley’s mind.”

“What are you saying?” Aziraphale feared he already knew.

“Anything I say is what he already believes to be true. I didn’t have to twist or warp a single thing I found,” Wrath replied with a wicked grin.

Aziraphale’s bottom lip quivered. He looked down at the demon on the floor and said, “Crowley, please, if you’ll just talk to me–”

Crowley began to laugh. The sound was off. Something wasn’t right. Aziraphale’s eyes widened when the demon finally lifted his head and looked at him. Those exaggerated demonic features on his still mostly human form were unlike anything he’d ever seen before. He didn’t see any resemblance of his friend in those cold eyes full of hatred. He had to stop from taking a step away. That would only make things worse. He didn’t fear his friend no matter what form he was in.

“Talk? I’d rather kill!” Crowley shrieked right before he lunged at him.

Aziraphale was wide-eyed as his back hit the floor hard. He gritted his teeth in order not to cry out from the sudden pain. This was bad. Very bad. He managed to grab Crowley’s wrists before the demon could tear him open with his razor-sharp claws. The guy didn’t even slow down. He attempted to bend down and bite him instead. Aziraphale muttered a soft apology then kneed him in the gut. It made Crowley recoil for just long enough so he could crawl away from him.

The moment he was on his feet again Crowley charged him. He managed to dodge that attack by a mere hair’s breadth. He couldn’t afford to cut it that close again. He had to figure out what to do. There had to be a way he could get through to the friend he knew was still in there. He glanced over at Wrath to see that the Sin had taken a seat on the couch and was content to watch the scene play out like it was at the movies.

He turned his attention back to Crowley, put his hands up to brace for the next attack, and yelled, “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“More than you already have, you mean?” Wrath asked loudly. “Neither me nor my siblings could’ve done such a number on him, I’m truly amazed. There was literally nothing for me to do but show him what he already knew. We do have a few job openings downstairs. Would something like that interest a cruel angel such as yourself?” His venomous chuckle followed.

“Shut up! No one asked you, fiend!” Aziraphale spat. The sound of a furious hiss that was way too close for comfort got his attention and he squeezed his eyes shut as Crowley tackled him. His back collided with a wall. Which one, he had no idea, but it was hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He gasped for air as the yellow-eyed demon growled in his face. Aziraphale dropped his hands and stood there completely defenseless then muttered, “I won’t fight you.”

“Then you’ll die!” Crowley exclaimed.

The shame Aziraphale felt for being the root of this mess was overwhelming. He couldn’t help but wonder if things would be better off this way. At least then he could spend his eternity knowing he’d done one decent thing by allowing the demon to take the vengeance he deserved. He watched Crowley pull his right arm back and bend his fingers in preparation for a fatal strike. His shoulders slumped.

So be it, then. If this was God’s plan– _no_! He was done being a pawn in any ‘higher plan’. If he just gave up then what would’ve been the point of all the effort they’d put in to survive the apocalypse together? He had to continue to fight for his and for his best friend’s sake. Not only that, he couldn’t just die before he’d apologized properly. That’d just be plain rude. As well as the coward’s way out. He had to try and reach the demon within this feral beast. His brow knitted together and he cried, “Crowley, _please_. Remember yourself!”

Crowley let out a series of furious hisses. He leaned in so that their noses almost touched and growled, “Thisss isss me!”

“It’s not!” Aziraphale protested.

“A horrible creature. Unworthy of kindesss or affection, yesss. Kicked out of Heaven, doomed to live a pathetic, lonely existenccce forever.” Crowley spoke as if he was reading out of a textbook. It was flat, emotionless.

“That’s simply not true! I care about you! I’ll be there for you, there’s no need for you to be lonely as long as you have me!” Aziraphale desperately cried.

“Liar!” Crowley exclaimed as he put his fist through the wall right next to the angel’s head. He gritted his teeth and scrunched his face as if he was in pain. “You only care about yourssself. All angelsss are ssselfish pricksss.”

“Crowley you’re–”

“Ssscaring you? Good. You ssshould fear me.” Crowley cut him off. He continued to snarl menacingly as he watched the blond.

“Going to hurt yourself,” Aziraphale finished the thought. He was as gentle as possible as he pulled the demon’s arm from the wall next to him. He furrowed his brow and inspected his hand. Luckily he didn’t seem to be injured. He looked him in the eyes and said, “You can be mad at me if you need to, but please don’t take it out on yourself.”

Crowley pulled his arm free of the angel’s grasp and hissed, “What do _you_ care?”

“I care a great deal,” Aziraphale assured him. So much so that he wasn’t even sure he could actually put it into words. For both their sakes he really intended to try.

“Your tricksss won’t work on me anymore...” Crowley narrowed his eyes and snarled at him.

“No tricks. Only something important I’d like to say if you’ll lend me your ear for just a moment,” Aziraphale assured him.

Crowley growled at him in response. It was softer, a bit less spiteful than his previous ones had been. Aziraphale swore that he could almost see his old friend again. He was _so_ close to reaching him. He just had to keep trying. Aziraphale put his right hand on Crowley’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry. I was blind. I thought things were good between us, great even. I had no idea that my aloofness made you feel unworthy of the love you deserve.”

A low hiss escaped the back of Crowley’s throat. He furrowed his brow and spat, “Demonsss don’t _dessserve_ love.”

“Most demons don’t, that’s true, but you certainly do. As I happen to be a being of love, you can trust me on this.” Aziraphale smiled and tilted his head. He squeezed Crowley’s shoulder and declared, “It’s not the same around the cottage with you gone. I miss you. I want you to come home.”

“That’sss not my home…” Crowley growled then tried to pull away. He stopped when the angel held him there.

“Don’t be silly. Of course it is. We built it together and it’ll always be _our_ home.” Aziraphale moved his hand to Crowley’s scaly cheek. It was cool beneath his palm. It was still not enough. He’d have to extend the proverbial olive branch as far as he possibly could if he wanted the demon to be able to grab hold of the other end. He nibbled on his bottom lip for a moment then gulped.

Aziraphale couldn’t exactly say the conditions for this were ideal, but he also didn’t see what choice he had. He studied the whirlwind of emotions he saw in Crowley’s eyes and knew it was now or never. He pursed his lips together then sighed to himself before he finally continued. “Are you listening to me, Crowley? I need you to come back so everything can go back to the way it was. No, that is to say, I want everything to be even _better_ than it was because…” Aziraphale leaned in so that his voice didn’t carry and they were the only ones that could hear it as he whispered, “I love you.”

He heard Crowley make a choked sound. Aziraphale leaned back just enough to study his expression. It was raw and vulnerable, a state he couldn’t recall ever seeing the demon in before. There was a disbelieving look upon his face accompanied by the glimmer of tears in his eyes. He knew that the wrong thing said in the next moment could cause him to lose his best friend forever. He wouldn’t have it. He gulped audibly then admitted, “I’ve never loved anyone the way that I do you. It’s a bit overwhelming, and frankly terrifying at times, but I wouldn’t trade the feeling for anything in the world because you… that is to say, well, being with you makes me feel whole. If that's not love, I certainly don't know what is.”

Crowley blinked at him as if he was seeing him for the first time. As his rage melted away so did his excessively demonic features. His nails and teeth shortened to their proper length, his scales retreated and left smooth skin in their wake, and his eyes– well those stayed as yellow and slitted as ever. Aziraphale wouldn’t have it any other way. He rubbed his thumb along Crowley’s cheek and smiled as he hummed, “There you are, dear. My wily old serpent.”

Aziraphale didn’t waste another second of precious time. He put his free hand on Crowley’s other cheek then leaned in and kissed his demon sweetly. It was a pleasant surprise when Crowley kissed him back immediately. They stepped closer to one another and Crowley wrapped his arms around him. It was truly the most tender embrace Aziraphale ever experienced. This was better than any book he’d ever read. It was far superior to any dessert he’d ever indulged in. Nothing could compare. It felt like he might just explode with happiness.

They tilted their heads to find a better angle and deepened the kiss. All the love they’d nurtured for one another now flowed freely through them. The feeling circulated through every part of them that touched and drastically intensified. It built up until their bodies couldn’t take it anymore. A wave of energy burst from them without warning and they both jumped. OK. That was new. Not bad. Just different. They could get used to it if it was what would happen any time they kissed. The sound of pained grunts and a shrill cry got their attentions and they both turned to look at Wrath just in time to watch it disintegrate. They both simply blinked at the sight. Neither knew what to say about _that_.

There was silence for a long moment before Aziraphale lit up and yelled, “Did we just defeat that Sin with the power of love!”

“No. Angel, stop making that face. That’s not a thing. Even if it was, which it’s _not_ , I wouldn’t be able to help because demons wouldn’t be able to use such a power.” Crowley shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion, really.

“Tell that to the pile of dust on your couch,” Aziraphale beamed. He bounced in place excitedly and smiled from ear to ear. He walked right up to said dust and gave it a swift kick. Then he stepped away from the airborne particles before they could land on him because that would be gross. Aziraphale sighed and then scrunched his face. He tilted his head and asked, “Does this mean we passed all the tests? Is it over?”

“In theory.” Crowley shrugged. “Better question is will Heaven and Hell really leave us alone for the foreseeable future? Are we truly free?”

“In theory,” Aziraphale echoed his response.

Crowley raised a curious eyebrow in the angel’s direction. The guy didn’t even notice since he seemed lost in his own thoughts. He cleared his throat then said, “Hey, Aziraphale.”

“Yes! Oh!” Aziraphale jumped then gasped. He scurried over to Crowley and gave him a good once over. He muttered nonsense to himself then said a bit louder, “Goodness me, after all that I didn’t even bother to check. Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need medical attention?”

Crowley rolled his eyes but let the blond fuss over him for a moment. It was rather adorable so he didn’t really mind it. Once he’d finally calmed down a bit Crowley bent down and whispered into his ear, “I love you, too.”

Aziraphale’s cheeks darkened and a warm smile spread across his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so flustered over three little words. It felt wonderful. He fought back a nervous chuckle and replied, “Oh. Jolly good. Should we, um… kiss again?”

Crowley had a playful smile on his face as he hummed, “That’d be, as you would say, tickety-boo.”

And so they did. It was just as incredible as the first was, and all the ones to follow would be. There was no burst of energy this time so that first one would just remain an anomaly. Neither of them cared. They parted and Crowley leaned his forehead against Aziraphale’s. They shut their eyes and basked in the overwhelming feeling of love they felt. They’d kept something so amazing caged within themselves for far too long. To be able to revel in it now was positively intoxicating.

Crowley opened his eyes and a smirk spread across his face. They gleamed mischievously when he asked, “Does this mean we’re going to sleep in the same room?”

Aziraphale shrugged then nodded. It was logical enough from where he stood. “I should think so. Nothing really stopping us now.”

“Good ‘cause I get cold at night and need a space heater,” Crowley teased.

“I’d be more than happy to keep you warm,” Aziraphale chuckled. Joke or not, he rather liked the idea of being so close to one another throughout the night. He grinned as he added, “and also convert your room into another library.”

“Oy! Convert your own room!” Crowley exclaimed. That hardly seemed fair. If they couldn’t keep his room, they shouldn’t keep the angel’s.

Aziraphale thought about it for a moment. He finally came to a conclusion that felt right and said, “Perhaps we need to miracle ourselves a whole new wing for the cottage to celebrate.”

“For your books?” Crowley snorted. As if he didn’t already know.

Aziraphale smiled sweetly at him and bopped him on the nose. He continued to grin as he hummed, “For all the things we’ll collect together over the centuries to come.”

“You know, that was actually pretty smooth,” Crowley nodded. He snorted when the angel grinned like he’d just won a prize. Centuries together with this walking ray of sunshine, huh? He could think of worse things.

“What can I say? Spending so much time with a demon may have rubbed off on me a bit,” Aziraphale nearly purred as he stepped even closer to his companion.

Crowley shook his head and then muttered, “OK now you’re just fishing for a kiss.”

“Is it working?” Aziraphale asked. He kept his best innocent look upon his face as he waited for an answer and leaned just a bit closer to him.

“You already know it is.” Crowley kissed him on the forehead. He let his lips linger there for a second before he pulled away.

Aziraphale let out a soft hum of approval. He could get used to that. In fact, he planned on it. They had a heck of a lot of time to make up for and he would get all the kisses he was owed. They parted and Crowley got to work fixing up his living room a bit. After all, it didn’t matter that he didn’t plan to return. He couldn’t leave it in such a state of disarray.

Aziraphale was quiet for the next few moments. He was lost in his own thoughts. There was so much for him to process that he was a little slow on the uptake. Eventually he turned towards Crowley and said, “I think the best part of this whole mess is that our former head offices got to witness firsthand just how strong we are together. There’s nothing they can throw at us that we can’t overcome as long as we have one another and they know it.”

“You’re right about that, angel.” Crowley winked at him.

“Fuck them,” Aziraphale said in such a chipper way that one would’ve thought he’d just been handed a delectable tray of sweets. His delighted grin spread across his whole face.

“Fuck them indeed,” Crowley replied with an amused chuckle. He stepped closer to Aziraphale and then held his left hand in the air to flip off the sky. He was delighted to find the angel follow suit and flip off the ground. They leaned in for another kiss not a moment later, both confident that their former head offices were still watching and positive they wouldn’t enjoy the show.

They both dropped their hands so they could embrace one another and deepen the kiss. Decades. Centuries. Millennia. It felt like all the time they’d been alive, every second that they’d known one another, had lead them to this exact moment. Everything else beforehand had been the prequel. This was when their lives truly began. Neither of them could wait to find out just what would happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It's up to you, and it's up to me_  
>  _No one can say what we get to be_  
>  _So why don't we rewrite the stars?_  
>  _Maybe the world could be ours_  
>  _Tonight_  
>  -
> 
> Warm feels! Happy ending! Are we all soft yet? YEEEEeEEeeeeEEEEEEeee
> 
> Whomst doubted theyd get exactly what they deserved in the end?? An immortals lifetime of happiness together yEP <3
> 
> The aardvark plushie I mentioned was based off a silly little  hc  of mine XD
> 
> They totally kill wrath with the power of love sorry but I do make the rules
> 
> Goddd it feels like forever since I started this fic. Hard to believe its finally over! Thanks to everyone that gave it a chance and those that stuck with me along the way! I hope you enjoyed these ineffable idiots FINALLY realizing that all the ever needed was to hold each others hand X3


End file.
